Boatcop
07-15-2006, 05:39 AM
Taco Bell forced to close doors
BY DAVID BELL
Friday, July 14, 2006 11:17 PM MDT
The doors to a local fast food favorite have been closed by order of the county.
The Mohave County Department of Health ordered the closure of the Taco Bell restaurant on Lake Havasu Avenue over alleged health code violations Friday. The only comment from officials with the restaurant, and signs on the restaurant's doors, state the closure is the result of equipment failure.
Because they received an unsatisfactory rating we are required, due to gross unsanitary conditions, to have them discontinue operations. So they are closed at this time, said Assistant Health Department Director Jennifer McNally. They received an unsatisfactory rating for a number of items,o ne of which was a gross infestation of cockroaches. The other items that they had were holes in the walls, which allowed cockroaches to come in. And the floor sinks were not draining properly.
A manager who identified herself over the phone only as Deanna, said no comment to questions about the situation, how to reach ownership or whether she could provide anyone who could speak on the matter. Eve Hanna handles media contact for Restaurant Support Center, franchisees of the Taco Bell restaurant. Hanna was unavailable for contact; however, Robert Cass, who is listed with the city as the emergency contact for the restaurant, said, It's an equipment failure and that's all I can say.
Signs posted on the restaurant's doors, drive-through speaker and a vehicle blocking entrance to the parking lot originally said the facility was closed till further notice. The signs were changed later Friday afternoon, adding, We have had an equipment failure.
The corporate office for Yum! Brands, Inc., the parent company for Taco Bell and four other fast food franchises, closed at 1 p.m. Friday and none of the corporate officers were available for comment.
McNally said the restaurant now must mitigate the situations alleged by the inspector prior to being allowed to resume business. That would include repairing holes in walls, ensuring floor sinks drain properly and eliminating the alleged roach problem.
What that means is they need to have pest control services come in and treat and remove any contaminated items. So any items that roaches may have crawled over, left droppings, left eggs, open packages, their cups, their plastics, all that type of thing that roaches might have crawled over need to be discarded, said McNally.
Following that, the restaurant then needs to contact the Health Department for a re-inspection during normal business hours. Passing that inspection, the restaurant may resume doing business.
It is not known at this time how many people the local Taco Bell employs, what prompted the inspection or if any other Lake Havasu restaurants have been closed by the department because of health code violations.
In Mohave County there are nearly 2,000 restaurants, food carts, coffee shops, delis and fresh food sections of grocery stores that must obtain permits from the county's Department of Environmental Health Food Protection Program. Employees are required to pass a test on food handling and receive a food handler card and Environmental Health Sanitarians inspect the establishments each year.
BY DAVID BELL
Friday, July 14, 2006 11:17 PM MDT
The doors to a local fast food favorite have been closed by order of the county.
The Mohave County Department of Health ordered the closure of the Taco Bell restaurant on Lake Havasu Avenue over alleged health code violations Friday. The only comment from officials with the restaurant, and signs on the restaurant's doors, state the closure is the result of equipment failure.
Because they received an unsatisfactory rating we are required, due to gross unsanitary conditions, to have them discontinue operations. So they are closed at this time, said Assistant Health Department Director Jennifer McNally. They received an unsatisfactory rating for a number of items,o ne of which was a gross infestation of cockroaches. The other items that they had were holes in the walls, which allowed cockroaches to come in. And the floor sinks were not draining properly.
A manager who identified herself over the phone only as Deanna, said no comment to questions about the situation, how to reach ownership or whether she could provide anyone who could speak on the matter. Eve Hanna handles media contact for Restaurant Support Center, franchisees of the Taco Bell restaurant. Hanna was unavailable for contact; however, Robert Cass, who is listed with the city as the emergency contact for the restaurant, said, It's an equipment failure and that's all I can say.
Signs posted on the restaurant's doors, drive-through speaker and a vehicle blocking entrance to the parking lot originally said the facility was closed till further notice. The signs were changed later Friday afternoon, adding, We have had an equipment failure.
The corporate office for Yum! Brands, Inc., the parent company for Taco Bell and four other fast food franchises, closed at 1 p.m. Friday and none of the corporate officers were available for comment.
McNally said the restaurant now must mitigate the situations alleged by the inspector prior to being allowed to resume business. That would include repairing holes in walls, ensuring floor sinks drain properly and eliminating the alleged roach problem.
What that means is they need to have pest control services come in and treat and remove any contaminated items. So any items that roaches may have crawled over, left droppings, left eggs, open packages, their cups, their plastics, all that type of thing that roaches might have crawled over need to be discarded, said McNally.
Following that, the restaurant then needs to contact the Health Department for a re-inspection during normal business hours. Passing that inspection, the restaurant may resume doing business.
It is not known at this time how many people the local Taco Bell employs, what prompted the inspection or if any other Lake Havasu restaurants have been closed by the department because of health code violations.
In Mohave County there are nearly 2,000 restaurants, food carts, coffee shops, delis and fresh food sections of grocery stores that must obtain permits from the county's Department of Environmental Health Food Protection Program. Employees are required to pass a test on food handling and receive a food handler card and Environmental Health Sanitarians inspect the establishments each year.