Nearly 400 restaurants in Houston are at risk of being shut down this year due to health code violations, according to a new report by the Houston Chronicle.
The Chronicle reviewed nearly 70,000 violations issued by the Houston Health Department when it visited more than 6,500 restaurants across the city. These violations range from improper hand washing to cockroach infestations and worker conditions.
Of the total violations, 11,000 – about 16 percent – were deemed critical. These violations put restaurants at risk of being shut down if they continue to ignore Houston’s health code.
While not all restaurants have critical violations, some establishments racked up a lot of them this year. The three restaurants with the most violations are Doneraki, The Stuffed Baked Potato Factory, and Tacos Cecina.
Doneraki is a Mexican restaurant that received 75 violations before July 1. However, they have made great progress in resolving those violations, and in the most recent inspection in August, inspectors documented only four violations, all non-critical.
The Stuff Baked Factory received 44 violations during three visits in one week. This came after a consumer complaint, and after the most recent inspection in October, an inspector said the restaurant had “grossly unsanitary practices.”
Tacos Cecina received 22 violations in its first inspection, four of which were critical. It improved in the next inspection, but had to close temporarily on August 18 and reopen in October. It has improved in subsequent inspections.
You can check the Chronicle’s database to see if your favorite restaurant has any serious violations. There is even a Denny’s at No. 80 with a total of 40 violations, three of them critical.
