Who didn’t make the grade in Merced County’s April food, restaurant inspections?
In recent weeks of inspections, three Merced County food business earned a failing grade in a food-safety inspection from the county’s Environmental Health Division, including a Mexican market in Merced that failed inspections twice in April.
After failing an April 1 inspection, Cardenas Market, located at 1136 W. Main St., Merced, received another unsatisfactory rating during a re-inspection on April 14 with 14 violation points.
The violation found at Cardenas Market was potentially hazardous foods shall be held at or below 41-45 degrees or at or above 135 degrees. The temperature of the food in the display warmer measured below 100 degrees.
Cardenas Market received 15 violation points during a April 1 inspection.
Twenty-five restaurants, schools, markets and other food businesses across the county were inspected between April 9 through April 24.
Twenty received “good” ratings, including 14 where no violation points were noted. Two scored “satisfactory” grades.
The county gives “good” ratings to businesses with six or fewer violation points, “satisfactory” ratings for seven to 13 violation points, and “unsatisfactory” ratings for 14 or more violation points.
The two other “unsatisfactory” ratings was given to a pair of Merced restaurants in Turmeric Indian Cuisine 2 and Champion Grill Buffet in Merced.
During an April 14 inspection violations found at Turmeric Indian Cuisine 2 included:
▪ Hand washing soap and single use towels or drying device shall be provided in dispensers adjacent to each hand washing facility; dispensers shall be maintained in good repair.
▪ Potentially hazardous foods shall be held at or below 41-45 degrees or at or above 135 degrees.
Those problems and others added up to 14 violation points for the Merced restaurant located at 731 E. Yosemite Ave.
During an April 10 inspection at Champion Grill Buffet, 475 W. Olive Ave., Merced, received 20 violation points which included:
▪ Potentially hazardous foods shall be held at or below 41-45 degrees or at or above 135 degrees.
▪ Hand washing soap and single use towels or drying device shall be provided in dispensers adjacent to each hand washing facility; dispensers shall be maintained in good repair.
▪ When time only, rather than time and temperature is used as a public health control, records and documentation must be maintained.
Businesses that received perfect scores with no violations were:
▪ Sangha Royal Products,Merced.
▪ Carl’s Jr. located on Bell Avenue, Atwater.
▪ EPIC de Cesar Chavez, Atwater.
▪ McDonald’s located on Bell Avenue, Atwater.
▪ Starbucks located on Bell Avenue, Atwater.
▪ Atwater High School
▪ Buhach Colony High School
▪ East Campus/Yosemite High School, Merced
▪ Weaver Middle School, Merced.
▪ Mitchel K-6, Atwater.
▪ Mitchell Senior, Atwater.
▪ Aileen Colburn School, Atwater.
▪ Shaffer School, Atwater.
▪ Thomas Olaeto School, Atwater.
The inspections represent a snapshot of conditions found at the time of a visit and may not indicate a pattern of good or bad food safety practices.
In most instances, if an inspector finds a problem, it’s something that can be fixed on the spot. This can include having enough bleach or sanitizer in the water used to wipe down food-preparation areas, replenishing soap, paper towels and toilet paper in the restrooms, or reminding employees to wash their hands and wear gloves and hairnets.
But some violations are considered more serious and, in some instances, can result in immediate closure of restaurants or food businesses when they are observed by health inspectors. Those may include insect or vermin infestations; refrigerators that don’t keep food cold enough or steam tables that don’t keep food hot enough to inhibit bacterial growth, or clogged sinks or drains that cause contaminated water to back up into kitchens.
A lack of hot water is one of the most common violations that health inspectors find when they make their routine visits. Hot water at a temperature of at least 120 degrees is considered important by inspectors for safely washing pots, pans, dishes and glasses, and 100 degrees for employees to wash their hands.
Merced County’s Environmental Health Division maintains a database of restaurant and food inspections online for public viewing at its web page, www.countyofmerced.com/597/Environmental-Health; click the “Food Inspections” tab along the left side of the page.
This story was originally published April 26, 2025 at 5:30 AM with the headline "Who didn’t make the grade in Merced County’s April food, restaurant inspections?."
