Will Clovis restaurant reopen after health violations, including cockroach sighting?

A Clovis restaurant where a cockroach was discovered crawling not just inside the establishment — but on top of food — has closed.

Perhaps permanently.

A hand-written note taped onto the front door of the Mitsui Buffet off Shaw Avenue said the restaurant is closed for a remodel. Its listing on the internet stated a temporary closure as well.

But there are signs elsewhere that seem to indicate Mitsui, which has been open since 2010, might be shutting down for good.

Messages left for owner Huang Feng were not immediately returned.

The Fresno County Department of Public Health said it has an inspection scheduled later this month at the buffet. That could help reveal more about the restaurant’s future.

Here are some hints of the direction Mitsui could be heading toward:

• Mitsui’s health permit expired in May and the restaurant has an unpaid balance of $1,539.20 to the county, according to the Fresno County Department of Public Health.
• The California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control states Mitsui’s liquor license was automatically revoked and its license expired April 30.
• The restaurant’s listed telephone number was no longer in service.

Then, there’s the incident at the restaurant involving a cockroach.

Cockroach and crawfish

In April, Fresno couple Lilly Holsworth and Anthony Moua decided to enjoy a date night at Mitsui.

Both had been to the buffet a couple of times before and felt comfortable eating there again. For about $20 per person, customers could eat all they want from a variety of foods already cooked and kept warm under heaters.

Holsworth, in particular, was looking forward to eating seafood.

So she filled her plate with crawfish, which was part of a seafood boil.

Moua, too, was drawn to the smell of the seafood boil, so he decided to get a plate of his own.

But when he picked up the serving spoon that rested inside the buffet warmer, a cockroach emerged within the large container full of crawfish and started moving.

Moua pulled out his camera phone to try to confirm what he thought he saw.

There it was on video: A cockroach crawling atop a crawfish then onto a corn on the cob.

“You see that, right?” Moua says in the video.

Moua rushed back to the table to warn his girlfriend.

Holsworth immediately pushed aside her plate, which still had two or three crawfish left. She’d already eaten the rest.

“What if the cockroaches laid eggs in the food?” Moua asked aloud.

Moua tried asking for a full refund. He said the restaurant only offered credit toward a future visit.

Moua decided it wasn’t worth getting into a heated argument. He also could tell his girlfriend wasn’t feeling well.

So the Fresno couple hurried home.

Holsworth rushed to the bathroom and forced herself to throw up.

When her family asked what was wrong and Holsworth told them, they suggested she tell others. Maybe message the news media so people could avoid going through a similar experience.

“That just doesn’t sit right with me,” Holsworth said. “The manager, she was being passive aggressive and said they don’t do refunds.

“It’s one thing if you see the cockroach on the ground. But it’s on the food. I literally was sick to my stomach.”

More violations

The Fresno County Department of Public Health said Mitsui’s current closure was not due to any enforcement action issued by the county’s environmental health team.

But because Mitsui hasn’t renewed its health permit, the health department could impose additional fines and a possible closure.

Mitsui has continued to be found in violation of various health codes that date back to December 2024, including rodent droppings on the floor.

In the latest consumer food protection inspection report, the health department stated in May that “there were no rodents, insects, birds or other animals observed to be in the restaurant.”

However, Mitsui still was found in violation of:

• not maintaining a clean and sanitized area after one dead cockroach and two cockroach eggs were observed in cabinets under the buffet line.
• not separating food and protecting it from contamination.
• not keeping potentially hazardous foods at appropriate holding temperatures.

Moua said he’s driven past Mitsui a few times since the cockroach incident.

He said he was surprised to find cars parked outside of the restaurant. He said he used to enjoy eating at Mitsui but couldn’t picture himself ever returning.

Workers at nearby businesses said they have not seen customers coming in or out of Mitsui for roughly two months.

“The standards there kept getting worse,” Moua said. “The setting was starting to deteriorate.

“I know it’s a buffet. I’m not expecting the place to be amazing. I just wasn’t expecting to see a cockroach on food that I was about to eat.”

This story was originally published August 26, 2025 at 5:30 AM.