Two Mexican restaurants in Leesburg were cited for violations by an inspector.
El Ranchito
The inspector found five high priority violations, six intermediate violations and 12 basic violations when an inspection during an inspection this past Thursday El Ranchito restaurant at 911 West North Blvd.
The inspector issued warnings for an employee who took a drink of a personnel beverage and then continued cooking without changing gloves, according to a report on file with the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation.
The inspector issued a stop sale order when pork was found stored at 58 degrees for over four hours. A warning was also issued when the inspector found chicken stored at 47 degrees, well above the required temperature. The inspector also found that the dish machine chlorine sanitizer was not at the proper strength and ordered that the the dishes be sanitized by hand.
The six intermediate violations included food contact area soiled with food debris, mold like substance and slime, a hand-washing station not accessible to employees, food debris in the hand sink, no chemical test kit was provided when using sanitizer at the three compartment sink and ware washing machine, cooked chicken and pork stored in a walk-in cooler more than 24 hours without being labeled and a spray bottle containing a toxic substance not properly marked with a warning label.
Basic violations found included an employee without hair restraint, food debris on the exterior of the ware washing machine, carbon dioxide tanks not being secured, using a bowl to dispense food, storing food on the floor, ice buildup in the freezer and ice scoop handle in contact with ice at the wait station. The violations were corrected on site.
Chipotle Mexican Grill
The Chipotle Mexican Grill 10450 at U.S. Hwy. 441 in Leesburg was found to have two high-priority violations and four basic violations during an inspection the same day.
The high priority violations involved live roaches in the wash machine area and failure to maintain proper temperature on prepared food. The basic violations included debris on the surface of the ware wash machine, accumulation of grease in a microwave, nonfood contact surfaces soiled with grease, food debris and dirt. The wall behind the wash machine was soiled with grease, food debris and dirt.
Both restaurants were found to be in compliance after a follow up inspection and neither was forced to close.
