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Dirty Dining: Mesquite restaurant apologizes

Posted at 10:45 PM, Feb 10, 2016
and last updated 2016-02-11 15:26:17-05

We've got quite the varied menu for you in tonight's Dirty Dining, from Chinese food to coffee. 

Contact 13 Chief Investigator Darcy Spears shows us where you might get a little sewage with your Starbucks.

We begin tonight with the main course. Chinese food at a place where they know our name.

Darcy Spears: So you've seen Dirty Dining. You know what we do.
David Seu: Yeah, I know. I saw it.
Darcy: What did you think when you saw us walking in?
David: Yeah, it's embarrassing, but I know you guys come so far away.

We had to go all the way to Mesquite to talk to David Seu, manager of Panda Garden restaurant. They got a 39-demerit C grade -- just two shy of shutdown.

"The health department just came after delivery so it's some kind of mess. Yes, we do not very good job.  So we gonna take care of everything and take care as soon as possible, okay? Yeah, I'm sorry," said Seu.

One of the things he blames on bad timing was an open box of raw chicken on the floor next to the trash can.

David: Delivery just came. That's why. We gonna remove to somewhere else, but we still checking and you know, sorry.
Darcy: But even when it's just delivered it shouldn't go on the floor, right?
David: Yeah.
Darcy: Especially next to a dirty mop and a trash can.

Health inspectors watched a food-handler take a large bucket of minced garlic and use his soiled gloves from washing dirty dishes to scoop out the remaining garlic for use.

"Yeah," David said.  "The worker didn't pay attention."

There was previously cooked chicken, beef and rice at unsafe temperatures. 

Food was double-stacked without barriers. 

The can opener blade was dirty. 

And inspectors found a food-handler's pill bottles and Theraflu Severe Cold and Cough stored on the cook line. David says no one was using it.

Darcy: So was there someone sick working in the kitchen?
David: No, no, no.
Darcy: Just old medicine sitting out on the food prep area?
David: Yes, yes.

There was also shrimp thawing at room temperature on the sink next to dirty dishes. 

And seven food-handlers didn't have health cards.

Darcy: What happened to your C grade?  It was up there but now there's a blank space on the wall.
David: Okay, oh, no, no. We gonna, I just, I just drop it. I gonna put it back, right back right now.

DIGITAL EXTRA: WATCH RAW VIDEO ABOVE TO SEE CONFRONTATION BETWEEN DARCY AND CUSTOMER

Moving on to our imminent health hazard closures, we've got a Starbucks full of sewage in the Westin hotel on Flamingo near Koval. 

Instead of shutting themselves down, Starbucks kept operating in the midst of a sewage leak -- catching the dripping waste in their handsink and trash cans. 

A food handler stood under leaking sewage from the ceiling to wash his hands, then immediately began to prepare customer drinks and food. 

Sewage was also leaking next to open coffee. 

And health inspectors found a box full of sandwiches covered with an unknown, disgusting-looking grease substance.

The other imminent health hazard closure was Pretzelmaker in the Boulevard Mall. 

It was shut down for no hot water. There was also an excessively dusty fan blowing directly into the oven. 

No soap in the employee restroom. And gooey black buildup on soda nozzles.  

Starbucks and Pretzelmaker both reopened with zero-demerit A grades. 

Panda Garden still has a C.