RivCo Restaurant Health Closures: Buffet, High School Kitchen, Donuts

RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CA — Seven Riverside County restaurants others were temporarily or indefinitely closed when inspectors discovered potential health hazards ranging from a cockroach infestation to food stored at unsafe temperatures.

The Riverside County Department of Environmental Health's latest report, dated Thursday, shows improper heating, cooling and wastewater disposal were to blame for most Riverside County restaurant closures over the past two weeks.

Each week, food facility inspectors make regular and unannounced inspections at restaurants, bakeries, delis, and bars across the county. Following rigorous checks, restaurants are issued grades ranging from "A" to "C." For anything under an "A" grade, restaurant owners can attempt to repair the issues before inspectors leave the premises. Still, some problems take longer to fix, leading to a downgrade or even a lengthy closure.

The following Riverside County restaurants were temporarily closed:

The restaurants below reopened with "A" grades after being closed between Oct. 18 and Nov. 2 for issues related to running safe and sanitary kitchens, according to the department's most recent Food Facility Closures Report.

La Michocana in Beaumont, located at 770 E. 6th Street, Suite G, reopened on Oct. 31 after a temporary closure was instated on Oct. 12. That day, inspectors noticed a cockroach infestation, with live adult and baby cockroaches. They found evidence of cockroaches "all over the facility," according to inspectors. Following a second inspection on Halloween, the restaurant was allowed to reopen.

Pam's Donut in Temecula, located at 30550 Rancho California Road, was reopened on Oct. 20 after closing Oct. 4 to deal with improper wastewater disposal, according to inspectors. Their permit was reinstated, and the donut shop reopened with an "A" grade.

The following restaurants experienced either minor or significant violations, reported in the Nov. 2 'Food Facility Closures' Report:

The restaurants below were downgraded to "B" or "C" grades and closed between Oct. 17 and Nov. 2 for issues related to running safe and sanitary kitchens, according to the most recent Food Facility Closures Report.

Cathedral City's Santorini Greek Cafe, located at 68375 E. Palm Canyon Drive, was closed, again, after failing health re-inspections on Oct. 20. The restaurant has suffered reoccurring issues related to insufficient hot and cold running water. Inspectors downgraded the restaurant to a "C," and its permit was revoked until the owners could prove fixes were implemented. No reopening date was projected in the most recent reports.

Juan Pollo, located at 1277 West 6th Street, Suite F in Corona, was temporarily closed on Oct. 24 after failing to maintain proper refrigeration temperatures, according to health inspectors. A re-inspection of the facility showed the appropriate repairs had been made, and the restaurant reopened on Oct. 26, according to the report.

Perris's Orange Vista High School kitchen, located at the school on 1400 E. Orange Avenue, was closed for five days due to insufficient hot or cold running water, according to inspector reports. The kitchen repaired the issues that impaired proper dish and handwashing and reopened on Oct. 25, reports show.

Riverside's Happy Buffet, located at 5600 Van Buren Suite A, failed its probationary inspection on Oct. 26, according to health inspectors. The inspectors noted the restaurant failed to keep food free from contamination, and restaurant workers were incorrectly using time rather than temperature to determine when to replace food items in the buffet. The buffet owners fixed the issues and were allowed to reopen with an "A" grade on Oct. 30, according to the most recent report.

Also in Riverside, Raj Specialty Catering, located at 9240 Magnolia Avenue, was closed Monday due to inadequate refrigeration and heat controls, according to inspection reports. The restaurant did not keep potentially hazardous food at properly heated temperatures, and the owners chose to close the restaurant. No reopening date has yet been announced.

See previous restaurant closures in Riverside County in 2023:

• May 4: RivCo Restaurant Health Inspections: Cardenas Market, Starbucks Cited
• May 11: RivCo Restaurant Inspections: Boba Fiend, Del Taco, Jack In The Box
• May 18: RivCo Restaurant Inspections: Wienerschnitzel, 7-Eleven
• May 25: RivCo Restaurant Inspections: Panda Express, Domino's Pizza, Wingstop
• Jun. 1: RivCo Restaurant Inspections: Flies in Food; Street Vendors Shut Down
• Jun. 29: RivCo Restaurant Health Closures: Jamba Juice, Lucky Wok, Pizza Chains
• Jul. 20: RivCo Restaurant Health Closures: Subway, Sbarro, Spa Food
• Sept. 2: RivCo Restaurant Health Closures: Tom's Jr. Burgers, Mr. You, Shogun
• Sept. 21: RivCo Restaurant Health Closures, Reopenings: Panda Express, Crusty's
• Sept. 28: RivCo Restaurant Health Closures: Del Taco, Santorini Gyro, Mr. Taco
• Oct. 17: RivCo Restaurant Health Closures: La Michocana, Jade China, Dickey's