The North Side restaurant has failed a health inspection

Saint Anthony – An unlicensed North Side restaurant failed its most recent health inspection in August, scoring the lowest it’s seen all year.

The SA Cafe at 20800 Highway 281 North received a failing score of 66, a 20-point drop from an inspection in February, when it received an 86.

An inspection of the cafe in August netted 21 violations, eight of which were repeat violations.

Raw eggs are heated to 71 degrees, rather than the required 45 degrees or less.

Raw meat is stored on ready-to-eat noodles, and more raw meat is stored in grocery bags.

There was debris in the ice machine, and the cleaning equipment was dirty with food debris.

The workers did not wear hair nets and did not dry their hands properly after washing, probably because there was nothing to dry them.

After the inspector found cigarette smoke in the storeroom, he reminded the business that smoking should not be allowed in the company.

There was no certified food handler on site, and several employees failed to provide their food handler credentials.

The business was operating without a license, which was previously mentioned in February.

KSAT reporter Tim Gerber stopped by this week to see if the business has solved its problems.

Jackie Nguyen, who identified herself as an employee, said the manager was not at the business but was on his way to talk to us about the results.

Gerber waited for 40 minutes, but the manager never came.

Health inspectors also made three visits before conducting follow-up inspections. The first two times the business was closed. They finally moved in on the third visit on August 31.

The inspector stated that several violations have been corrected, but the facility is still operating without a permit.

Metro Health said this week that the business currently has a food permit to operate, but it expires at the end of September, and so far the business has not paid for a new one.

Want to know who has good grades and who doesn’t? KSAT 12 has a new tool for that.

Right Click this linkWe’ll show you the latest results for San Antonio food businesses and take you to a new map.

The reports go back every six months and are updated frequently.

You can find Tim BKD’s Thursday reports on Nightbeat.

Also on KSAT.COM

See other stories behind the kitchen door here