A South Bay restaurant that shut down following viral video showing an employee slamming frozen ribs onto the ground in a back parking lot has been cleared to reopen.
Inspectors visited Pho Love on Monday and the Milpitas restaurant passed the inspection.
The owner of Pho Love in Milpitas told NBC Bay Area on Tuesday they are fearful of reopening anytime soon due to backlash the business has received. The restaurant has received hate mail and hate messages, according to the owner.
County health inspectors showed up to Pho Love last week and temporarily shut down the restaurant after finding unrefrigerated chicken in a tub on the floor and a cockroach inside the facility.
NBC Bay Area saw a fumigator the night the restaurant was shut down, which was not due to the video. The restaurant did receive a citation for the incident.
Meanwhile, the incident has prompted questions about how to report such activity and how to know if a restaurant passed its last health inspection.
Sergio Garcia, the man who recorded the viral video, said he was doing maintenance on the roof of an adjacent building when he heard a thumping sound.
After seeing what happened, Garcia decided to record because he felt the process was dirty.
County health officials said customers looking for information on a restaurant should look at green, yellow or red inspection signs that should be posted at the entrance. Those colored signs will show the basic rating and date of the last inspection.
Santa Clara County Public Health has temporarily shut down 422 facilities this year.
County food facility inspection reports can be viewed on the county website.
Pho Love passed its previous three inspections.
Santa Clara County Environmental Health Director Dr. Marilyn C. Underwood provided the following statement on Tuesday:
“On November 24, Santa Clara County Environmental Health conducted a follow-up health inspection at Pho Love in Milpitas. After successfully passing the inspection, the facility has been cleared to reopen by Environmental Health.
As part of the reinspection process, an environmental health specialist confirmed that the major violations had been corrected. A review of the most recent pest control report showed there was no current cockroach activity, and no evidence of pests was observed during the inspection. The facility has sanitizer available on site and demonstrated the ability to properly sanitize cooking equipment and utensils. A follow-up, unannounced inspection will occur in the upcoming weeks to ensure the facility maintains safe food-handling practices and remains in compliance with Health and Safety Code requirements.
Environmental health specialists had conducted a full investigation on November 20 at the food facility after a video circulated online showing unsafe handling of what appeared to be frozen ribs on the ground outside. Following the investigation, Environmental Health closed Pho Love, requiring the operator to correct major violations and demonstrate acceptable food handling practices.
Detailed reports of the recent Pho Love Milpitas inspections and other Santa Clara County food establishment inspections are available on SCCDineOut.
Environmental Health, a branch of the Public Health Department, is committed to protecting public health in Santa Clara County by conducting routine, unannounced inspections, prompt follow-ups, and diligent investigations, and providing education to businesses on meeting health and safety standards.”
Damian Trujillo
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