
By Sara Beth Williams–
A local Chinese restaurant in Citrus Heights was forced to close for one day in January due to major health code violations.
Wonderful Chinese Restaurant, located at Sylvan Corners, received orders to close following a Jan. 9 health inspection by the Sacramento County Environmental Health Division’s Food Protection Program due to major health code violations, including an “infestation” of rats, according to online health inspection records. After a follow up inspection on Jan. 10 at the request of the restaurant owner, the restaurant was given a green card and allowed to reopen.
Major health violations that required immediate attention in the first inspection at Wonderful Chinese included sightings of rat droppings in bulk food containers, as well as a gnawed plastic bag of sesame seed, and rat droppings on metal food cans and multiple rat droppings on shelves in the dry food storage room.
The restaurant was given a notice of the temporary suspension of their health permit, and forced to close “immediately” on Jan. 9, according to online records. Additionally, instructions were given to the facility to “get rid of the rats,” deep clean the entire facility, and discard all potentially contaminated food.
A reinspection the following day still found other minor violations, but the restaurant was “approved to reopen” according to the inspection report.
Minor violations during reinspection included multiple unclean surfaces, including refrigerator shelves, cooking utensils stored between tables and on unclean surfaces, unclean peelers stored alongside clean peelers, no visible thermometer on at least one refrigerator, and the need for a weather-strip seal on the bottom of the back screen door. Corrections that did not involve repairs were corrected immediately.
Wonderful Chinese Restaurant staff confirmed on Thursday that the restaurant was “closed for cleaning” on Jan. 9.
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.
“Most restaurant owners and operators work quickly to resolve their issues and open within 1-3 days of the initial failed inspection,” Casparis told The Sentinel.
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.
Five percent on average receive yellow placards, and the rest receive green placards.
A local Chinese restaurant in Citrus Heights was forced to close for one day in January due to major health code violations...
Thanks for reading The Sentinel. You are either trying to access subscribers-only content or you have reached your limit of 4 free articles per 30 days. Click here to sign in or subscribe.