Mice, roaches closed 2 food businesses at Clovis shopping center. Which ones?

A Clovis restaurant was closed for the better part of a work week after a routine inspection found a “severe cockroach infestation on the wall and floors throughout the facility.”

According to a report from the Fresno County Department of Public Health, Pure Water and Ice Cream was closed and its permit was suspended after the May 18 inspection. The restaurant, at Ashlan and Fowler avenues, was ordered to be cleaned thoroughly and treated by a certified pest control company before reopening, May 21.

It is now required to be serviced twice a month, for the next four months, according to the inspection report.

A second restaurant in the same shopping center was also closed because of vermin.

China To Go was closed following a May 26 inspection, in which both cockroaches and mice were observed, according to an inspection report made available to the public online. The restaurant reopened May 30, following a re-inspection in which no vermin were observed. It now receives weekly pest control service, according to the report.

Both businesses were included in the Health Department’s Food Facility Closure Report for May. Three other food businesses were listed on the report, which was posted online this week.

They are:

• Subway, on Grant Avenue near Belmont and Fowler. The sandwich shop closed for one day after losing electricity.
• Jimy Wen’s Asian Restaurant at Herndon and Cedar, which was closed for nearly the full month due to a rodent infestation couple and a lack of hot water. It reopened June 1.
• Bee’s Market in Raisin City. The market and meat department was closed for one day due to “vermin infestation,” according to the closure report.

Last month, the health department reported temporary closures at eight food businesses. That included a 7-Eleven, which was closed after a fire in the shopping complex.

According to data tracked by The Bee, 29 restaurants, mobile food vendors and markets have now been closed, for a day or more, since the start of 2026.

How do county health inspections work?

The Fresno County Public Health Department has about two dozen environmental health specialists who monitor some 5,000 restaurants, snack bars, grocery stores, commissaries, delicatessens and food vendors across the county.

These inspectors make unannounced visits several times a year, but are also called out following fires or changes in ownership or in response to complaints or other concerns from the public. This includes when people report what they believe are health or sanitation issues at restaurants (if someone sees a rat, let’s say).

These inspectors work through a lengthy and detailed list of more than 50 items that can cause violation.

It can be simple and bureaucratic: whether the business has the proper license or permit or have submitted plans for a remodel, or whether management and employees have the required food safety or food-handling certificates on hand.

But it can also be things like the hygiene of individual employee, the temperature control systems (used to keep cold food at or below 41 degrees and hot food above 135 degrees) or sanitation.

Do the facilities do proper sterilization on counters, tables, utensils and cookware? What is the overall cleanliness of a building (are restrooms stocked with supplies, for example)? Are sinks and floor drains working properly?

Inspectors chronicle their findings in reports made available to the public in a searchable database online.

In most instances, problems can be fixed on the spot. That includes things like 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.

Serious violations, those that pose an imminent health hazard, will trigger closure and mandatory reinspections. This includes things like rodent or roach infestations (see above), refrigerators that don’t keep food cold enough or steam tables that don’t keep food hot enough to inhibit bacterial growth. Clogged sinks or drains, can also call for a closure, as contaminated water can back up into kitchens.

Ditto for hot water. This is one of the most common (and quickly fixed) reasons for closure.

Most closures are temporary and last no longer than a few days.

This story was originally published June 10, 2026 at 7:00 AM.