Health inspection violations force brief closure of popular Citrus Heights drive-thru

By Sara Beth Williams–
A popular burger restaurant in Citrus Heights is back open to the public after being ordered to close for business due to major health violations.

California Burgers was ordered to close and stop all food preparation and service “due to the imminent risk to the public” after a Nov. 13 inspection found over 50 mice droppings on the floor of a dry food storage area and another 20 droppings on a table under a commercial-grade slicer, according to an official inspection report from Sacramento County. The business was also hit with multiple other health code violations that were required to be addressed before reinspection.

The facility was reinspected the next day, Nov. 14, at the request of the restaurant, and the violations for which an Environmental Health Permit to Operate was suspended were noted as “corrected” in the reinspection. The closure order was rescinded, and the restaurant reopened to the public.

In the Nov. 14 report, the inspector noted that a pest control service had been contracted to return to service the restaurant this week, and that the facility had initially “stopped their pest control service and they had not been out there recently.”

The reinspection report listed multiple violations that still required correction within three days, including employees with expired food handler cards, multiple unclean surfaces in the back kitchen area that were seen to have accumulated heavy grease and food debris, a deteriorating freezer door gasket seal, and broken lights within a hallway.

The report also listed several structural issues, including holes in the ceiling above soda syrup boxes where soda lines feed through, gaps around water and soda lines above the ice machine, an open electrical conduit pipe in the dry storage area, several broken tiles throughout the cook’s line, dishwasher, and back prep area, and a “bulging wall” behind the hand sink.

Most of the structural issues are required to be repaired within three days, except 60 days were given to repair broken tiles, and 30 days were given to resurface the bulging portion of the wall.

The restaurant was given a green placard during the Nov. 14 reinspection. It’s unclear whether a third reinspection will take place to address violations listing a three-day compliance period.

In a phone call with The Sentinel on Wednesday, restaurant staff with California Burgers referred a request for comment regarding the temporary closure to restaurant owners, who were unavailable and on vacation, according to staff.

A green placard indicates a facility has passed inspection. A yellow placard signifies two or more major violations were found, which are typically corrected or mitigated immediately during the inspection process. A red placard represents an “imminent danger to public health and safety” and leads to a suspended health permit until all issues are resolved. Major vermin infestations and other serious hazards prompt a red placard.

The Environmental Health Division’s Food Protection Program conducts on average 1,200 food facility inspections per month in Sacramento County, and two percent of inspections result in closure, Sacramento County spokesperson Ken Casparis told The Sentinel Wednesday.

“Most restaurant owners/operators work quickly to resolve their issues and open within 1-3 days of the initial failed inspection,” Casparis said.

Five percent on average receive yellow placards, and the rest receive green placards.

California Burgers is located at 8537 Auburn Blvd., in Citrus Heights.