SAN ANTONIO – A West Side bakery racked up numerous violations during a recent health inspection that found live roaches and exterior doors left wide open.
Las Conchas #2 Tortilleria & Panaderia
Las Conchas #2 Tortilleria & Panaderia, located in the 1100 block of South General McMullen, racked up 18 health code violations on its March inspection, earning it a 78. That’s five points lower than the 83 it got in August last year when it was first featured on Behind the Kitchen Door.
This time, the bakery had several repeat violations, including “live roaches” in the business and leaving the front and back doors “wide open.”
KSAT Investigates reporter Tim Gerber found the same doors left open when he stopped by this week. Gerber even watched a customer leave without closing the front screen door, and no one ever closed it. Meanwhile, the back door was open two days in a row.
In the report, the inspector wrote that she observed “employees handling ready-to-eat tortillas with bare hands,” not wearing proper hair restraints, and cell phones and personal drinks were also found around the work area.
None of the workers had food handler certificates, and no one was on site with a valid food manager certificate.
There was no hot water at the start of the inspection, but it was partially restored before the inspector left. The business was allowed to continue making tortillas that day but had to lock the front doors until all hot water was restored.
The inspector scheduled a follow-up inspection the next day to ensure the plumbing was repaired.
The inspector also told the business to throw away “all open bags of flour that has (sic) been delivered.”
An accumulation of equipment and pallets stored behind the business was supposed to be removed from the property, but it was still there this week.
When Gerber went to the business, he found a group of workers taking a break, but none could answer his questions regarding the inspection.
While he was inside, Gerber noticed several flies buzzing around, and the business was displaying an outdated score with a much higher score in the 90s from an inspection performed more than a year ago.
La Perla Bar and Grill
La Perla Bar and Grill, located in the 500 block of SW Military Drive, got this week’s low score, a 71.
Employees were observed touching food with bare hands. Others were seen drinking in the kitchen and not washing their hands or changing gloves.
Refrigerators needed to be repaired, and they weren’t using the proper cooling method for food.
A re-inspection was ordered.
La Cabana De Jalisco
La Cabana De Jalisco in the 700 block of Hildebrand makes a repeat appearance on Behind the Kitchen Door, this time with a 79. That’s an improvement over the 73 they got in November.
The inspector observed workers touching food with bare hands, food was cooling at room temp, and they were told to check the premises for pests. The type of pest was not specified in the report, but the business was previously cited for having rodent droppings found in the establishment during its inspection last year.
The business was ordered to undergo a re-inspection.
Costa Pacifica
Costa Pacifica in the 400 block of North Loop 1604 earned a 77.
Cooked beans “with heavy crust and surface cracking” cooked the day before were tossed out due to improper cooling.
Employees were touching food with bare hands, the water heater needed to be reset, and an insect sticky trap in the kitchen needed to be moved to avoid contact with food.
The business also had an expired food permit. The inspector gave them 10 days to get a new one or discontinue operations.
Score Guide:
100-90 = A (Very Good to Acceptable)
89-80 = B (Acceptable to Marginal)
79 or lower = C (Marginal to Poor)
*Metro Health indicates that scores of 69 or lower are failing scores
Other scores from this week of inspections:
Carrabbas Italian Grill, 100
12507 IH 10 W
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Chicken Salad Chick, 100
22831 N US Hwy 281
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Dutch Bros Coffee, 100
5642 UTSA Blvd
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Olive Garden #1631, 100
15814 IH 10 W
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Panda Express, 100
21025 US 281 N
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Peter Piper Pizza #563, 99
3131 SE Military Dr
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Popeye’s Chicken & Biscuits, 98
6170 IH 10 E
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Press Coffee, 97
11103 West Ave
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Arby’s, 96
2002 SW Military Dr
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Babcock Bar, 95
8826 Huebner Rd
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Anne Maries, 94
12475 Starcrest Dr
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Thousand Oaks Cafe, 93
1271 Austin Hwy
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Which Wich, 92
849 E Commerce St
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Taquitos El Dorado, 91
3423 Pleasanton Rd
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La Michoacana Meat Market #10, 90
6059 La Cima
Want to know who has good scores and who doesn’t? KSAT 12 has a new tool for that.
Just click this link, and it will take you to a new mapping tool we have showing the recent scores for San Antonio food businesses.
The reports go back six months and are frequently updated.
You can catch Tim’s BKD reports Thursdays on the Nightbeat.
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