Dead pests, dusty tiles, improper hand washing among Fort Worth restaurant violations
Dead or trapped pests on restaurant premises. Black organic material growing inside of ice machines and drink nozzles. Failing to protect foods from cross-contamination. Dusty or dirty surfaces.
These were some of the citations that eateries in Fort Worth faced in the month of March, according to a Star-Telegram overview of restaurant inspections from the city. No restaurant had a score of 30 or above when it came to violations, the data shows, meaning no restaurant was ordered to take immediate corrective action within 48 hours under the threat of shutting down. But there were several that came close.
House of Korea Sam Won Garden, located at 5201 McCart Ave., had the highest score last month at 29. The restaurant was cited for multiple violations including storing shrimp at 52 degrees — more than 10 degrees over the required 41 — and having dusty ceiling tiles in the kitchen. An employee didn’t follow the procedures for correct hand-washing, inspectors noted.
Additionally, the inspection shows, there was a hole in the wall by the walk-in freezer.
The restaurant with the second-most violations was Mica’s Carniceria Y Tortilleria, at 3501 Decatur Ave., which had 25. That included keeping raw egg shells above cooked meats in the reach-in cooler and preparing food in an outdoor storage shed without a handwashing sink.
Hoya Korean Kitchen, at 355 W. 3rd St., had 24 violations, such as not having hand soap at one of the sinks near the kitchen and not controlling pests inside the establishment. An employee also kept glasses and cigarettes in the prep table, according to the inspection.
There were 31 restaurants that didn’t protect food from cross-contamination, the inspections show. Thirteen restaurants had observed organic material somewhere inside the facility. Six restaurants had dead or trapped birds, insects, rodents and other pests that hadn’t been removed. Inspectors cited one restaurant, Taqueria Guelaguetza at 2400 Vaughn Blvd., for having a live roach.
Twenty restaurants in Fort Worth had zero violations.
The Star-Telegram database each month shows all the inspection from the month before. People can scroll through the page with restaurants listed by name, or score, or address. Readers can use a search bar to look up specific key terms like a citation or a restaurant name.
In February, there were also no restaurants with 30 or more violations, the inspections showed. Three restaurants were tied for the most violations at 29.
Here are the inspection scores and violations for restaurants within the city limits of Fort Worth for March 2021. Scores are based on a demerit system. When the total exceeds 30, the restaurant must take immediate corrective action on all identified critical violations, then has 48 hours to initiate corrective action on all other violations. To search the restaurant inspections, type in a keyword or restaurant name. You can also sort by score.
