Rodent infestation temporarily closed a SLO sandwich shop. See latest restaurant inspections

A well-known San Luis Obispo County sandwich shop was temporarily shut down for a “very obvious rodent infestation” while another business had to close while it fixed a plumbing issue.

Those were some of the notable conditions health inspectors found in August during dozens of surprise visits to eating and drinking establishments.

Many food and beverage sellers passed with flying colors, while others needed to make serious improvements.

Every month, The Tribune prints the lowest- and highest-ranked eateries to give diners more information about the places where they buy food and drinks.

Inspectors visit restaurants, bars, coffee shops, grocery stores, mini-marts and more on a monthly basis. They score eateries on a 100-point scale and make deductions based on the severity of the violations they find.

To check out the safety and cleanliness of your favorite restaurants around the county, visit www.EatSafeSLO.org and use the interactive map to view full inspection reports.

Sandwich shop briefly closed for rodent infestation

Notably in August, Gus’s Grocery at 1638 Osos St. in San Luis Obispo was ordered to close until it fixed a rodent infestation discovered during its routine inspection.

According to inspection notes, the facility “had a very obvious rodent infestation, but continued to operate in unsanitary conditions.” An inspector at the property found “both live and dead rodents” inside the facility, as well as “excessive rodent dropping and urine.”

The restaurant was ordered to close and immediately contact pest control services. It was also told to clean and sanitize the entire business.

Gus’s Grocery reopened the next day after a re-inspection revealed all violations had been fixed. According to the inspection notes, the facility “was thoroughly cleaned and sanitized” and the business had a new contract with a pest control agency to eliminate the infestation.

Meanwhile, Kennedy Club Fitness in Arroyo Grande was also briefly ordered to stop coffee service after an inspector discovered there was no hot water in the kitchen.

Food contact surfaces were also not being properly sanitized, and floors throughout the kitchen were in need of cleaning, according to inspection notes.

Lowest-rated restaurants

Here are the lows of the 207 inspections Environmental Health employees conducted in August.

Sunset Thai, 561 Five Cities Drive, Pismo Beach

Points lost: 15

Notes: The Pismo Beach Thai food restaurant lost a number of points during its routine inspection in August for health code violations — most notably that there was no hot water in the employee restroom. According to inspection notes, the handwashing sink in the employee bathroom once again did not have hot water during its inspection. The inspector also observed the dishwasher wasn’t dispensing sanitizer, there was mildew growth inside the ice machine and several utensils meant for rice were being stored in a bucket of stagnant water. The restaurant was ordered to be re-inspected to ensure the violations were corrected or face a fee.

Gino’s Pizza, 539 Five Cities Drive, Pismo Beach

Points lost: 13.5

Notes: Gino’s Pizza in Pismo Beach had a number of repeat violations during its August inspection that resulted in it losing a large number of points. Those included missing food certifications for employees, using an unapproved food preparation sink, a large gap in the screen door, mops not being hung up to dry and — the largest violation — no sanitizer solution being set up in the kitchen during food prep. The restaurant also lost points after an inspector observed workers using a “large bucket/bin” to mix pizza sauce. “This bucket is too large to fit into the three-compartment sink and be thoroughly cleaned and sanitized,” the inspection notes read.

Golden Donut, 863 Oak Park Blvd., Pismo Beach

Points lost: 13

Notes: The doughnut shop in Pismo Beach was ordered to be reinspected following its regular August inspection after several health code violations were found. According to inspection notes, employees at the business “lack knowledge of proper food safety practices such as sanitizing food contact surfaces and hand washing.” The shop was ordered to immediately train all employees on the importance of those practices. Meanwhile, the business’s hand washing sink was out of service and there were no paper towels in the restroom, an inspector noted. The business’s flooring was also in need of repair, according to inspection notes.

Sylvester’s Burgers, 1099 Santa Ynez, Los Osos

Points lost: 12

Notes: During its routine inspection in August, the beloved burger joint had a number of health code violations. According to inspection notes, the restaurant’s prep-top refrigeration unit was too warm, with a recorded temperature of 47 degrees during inspection. Health code requires those to be at 41 degrees or cooler. The inspector also noted that workers were keeping prepped lettuce, tomato, onion and pickle stacks on the counter and not in refrigeration in preparation for rushes. The restaurant also lost points because a hand wash sink was blocked by a trash can, there was no sanitizer solution set up during food prep, ice cream utensils were being stored in stagnant water and there was a clogged floor drain next to the three-compartment sink.

Aliyah’s Kitchen Sea Food and Grill, 1344 Park St., Paso Robles

Points lost: 10

Notes: Aliyah’s Kitchen in Paso Robles lost points during its inspection in August after an inspector observed sanitizer buckets did not have enough chlorine, toxic spray bottles were not labeled and onions were being kept in a bag on the floor of the back storage room. Other violations included shellfish being stored without tags, scoops being kept in bulk food containers and a “large accumulation of empty glass bottles and extra equipment.”

Highest-rated restaurants

These stores and restaurants received scores of 100, with few to no violations.

San Luis Obispo

• Back Door Brands, 10 Higuera St. Bldg B
  
  
• Buona Tavola SLO Inc., 1037 Monterey St.
• Brooks Burgers, 134 Tank Farm Road
• Camp San Luis Obispo - MOA #E0107, Hwy 1 Bldg 854
• Celia Chocolatier, 3000 Broad St. Ste 111
• Central Coast Creamery LLC, 3845 S Higuera St. Ste 112
• Chevron #1970, 3180 Broad St.
• Club Demonstration Services Inc. (Food Sampling), 1540 Froom Ranch Way
• GINO’S Pizza, 1761 Monterey St.
• Hampton Inn & Suites, 1530 Calle Joaquin
• Kaffein Coffee, 1242 Monterey St. #110
• La Locanda, 1137 Garden St., San Luis Obispo
• Las Brisas, 1299 Briarwood Drive
• Mama Ganache Artisan Chocolates, 3845 S Higuera St.
• Region, 979 Morro St.
• San Luis Creek Lodge, 1941 Monterey St.
• San Luis Post Acute Center, 3033 Augusta St.
• Sands Inn and Suites, 1930 Monterey St.
• SLO A La Mode Ice Cream, 860 Higuera St.
• SLO Delicious, 1129 Garden St.
• Starbucks Coffee #620, 885 Higuera St.
• The Bridge Cafe, 1074 Higuera St.

North Coast

• Foghorn Brewhouse, 2940 Main St., Morro Bay
  
  
• Gilligan’s Sandwich Shop, 480 Morro Bay Blvd., Morro Bay
• Grassy Bar Oyster Company Inc., 1215 Embarcadero Unit D, Morro Bay
• Harper’s Bottle Liquor, 999 Main St., Morro Bay
• Hofbrau Der Albatross, 901 Embarcadero, Morro Bay
• Keep Ocean, 3350 Pecho Road, Los Osos
• Mozzi’s Saloon, 2262 Main St., Cambria
• Oceanpoint Ranch, 7200 Moonstone Beach Drive, Cambria
• Pie in the Sky Pizza Cayucos, 156 1/2 Ocean Front Ave., Cayucos
  
  
• The Human Bean Coffee Shop, 839 Morro Bay Blvd., Morro Bay

South County

• Chevron #1972, 460 W Tefft St., Nipomo
• CVS Pharmacy #9892, 827 Oak Park Blvd., Pismo Beach
• Kaleidoscope Inn, 150 S Avocado, Nipomo
• Kon Tiki Inn, 1621 Price St., Pismo Beach
• Marshall’s #750, 1128 W Branch St., Arroyo Grande
• See’s Candies, 503 A Five Cities Drive, Pismo Beach
• Taco Bell #21177, 535 W Tefft St., Nipomo
• Taste of the Valleys, 911 Price St. Ste A, Pismo Beach

North County

• ABC Cafe, 6225 Atascadero Mall, Atascadero
• ABC Prep Kitchen, 6225 Atascadero Mall, Atascadero
• Adelaida Botanicals, 5625 Vineyard Drive, Paso Robles
• ALF Food Pantry, 5411 El Camino Real, Atascadero
• Belnano Coffee, 8120 El Camino Real, Atascadero
• Bethel Road Distillery and Winery, 1266 N Bethel Road, Templeton
• Castoro Cellars, 1315 N Bethel Road, Templeton
• Cool Hand Luke’s, 1111 Riverside Ave. Ste 201, Paso Robles
• Croad Vineyards, 3550 Viendo Robles Lane, Paso Robles
• Dilecta Wines, 7970 Vineyard Drive, Paso Robles
• El Camino Liquor, 7403 El Camino Real, Atascadero
• Grey Wolf Vineyard & Cellars, 2174 Highway 46 W, Paso Robles
• Halfway Station, 15050 Morro Road, Atascadero
• Jada Vineyard & Winery, 5620 Vineyard Drive, Paso Robles
• Loading Chute, 6350 Webster Road, Creston
• Marv’s Station, 6700 El Camino Real, Atascadero
• Nogi, 5810 Traffic Way, Atascadero
• One of a Kind Mexican Restaurant, 2524 Spring St., Paso Robles
• Opolo Vineyards, 7110 Vineyard Drive, Paso Robles
• Oso Libre Winery, 7383 Vineyard Drive, Paso Robles
• Peachy Canyon Winery, 1480 Bethel Road, Templeton
  
  
• San Paso Truck Stop, 81 Wellsona Road, Paso Robles
• Society Cuisine LLC DBA Trumpet Vine Catering, 825 Riverside Ave. Ste 12, Paso Robles
• Spring Street Service Center, 1339 Spring St., Paso Robles
• Sticky USA, 3777 Ruth Way Unit B, Paso Robles
• The Inn at Opolo Kitchen, 6970 Vineyard Drive, Paso Robles
• Turley Wine Cellars, 2900 Vineyard Drive, Templeton
• 7-Eleven 25473E, 8000 El Camino Real, Atascadero

This story was originally published October 2, 2024 at 2:53 PM.