LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Bargain shoppers, listen up! This week's Dirty Dining is the latest edition of Gross Grocers.
And 13 Chief Investigator Darcy Spears has just one word for you... Rats!
Most of our loyal viewers will remember the Rat Bat! We first encountered it in 2016 at the 99-Cents Only store in Boulder City.
Employees of that rat-infested facility found a new use for an actual baseball bat. And it seems they might have done well to share it with their fellow 99-Cents Only store in Las Vegas on Nellis and Charleston where health inspectors validated a complaint on February 5 and shut it down for an imminent health hazard.
The complainant told the Health District they "Observed a rat running and rat feces in the back area through the double doors by the produce section."
Inspectors saw lots of rodent droppings and urine on store shelves, particularly in the area with croutons, chips and popcorn.
The rodents also dined on dried beans and instant noodles.
There was visible gnawing and penetration into multiple packages, plus, and about 10 dead mice along the walls inside the store.
"Everything was fixed up," the store manager told Darcy Spears. "It was kind of just, you know, we took care of it as fast as we possibly could. It wasn't anything crazy, but it is what it is. It happened and now everything's a million times cleaner, a lot better. And it's an older building, you know, so stuff happens. Stuff gets by and it happens, unfortunately."
The person in charge on inspection day provided four pest control records from January alone--one service each week.
But that's not enough when you have gaping holes in walls and missing ceiling tiles.
All of that was fixed and the 99-Cents Only store re-opened February 7 with a six-demerit A grade.
There were three other imminent health hazard closures and one of the places had three different imminent hazards--Dirty Dining repeat offender Antojitos Guayabitos food truck where inspectors found no hot water, inadequate refrigeration and gross, unsanitary conditions.
Inspectors closed it down at Nellis and Harris after validating a complaint on February 9 documenting concerns with sanitary conditions and procedures.
They found no hot water and no sanitizer on the food prep line and no access to restrooms.
There was food debris on all floors, sinks and shelves, utensils were crusted with thick food debris and just about all food was in the temperature danger zone.
Inspectors noted the facility was extremely dirty with grease and food debris throughout the truck creating unsanitary conditions for food handling.
The truck operator told Darcy Spears it was bad timing and the end of a busy day, making conditions seem worse than they were. He added that the family has not yet decided whether to re-open the food truck.
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Fat Tuesday at the Miracle Mile shops in Planet Hollywood was shut down February 6 for no hot water. It re-opened same day with a zero-demerit A grade. The manager did not return our call for comment.
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The Aztec Inn's $5 Cafe on Las Vegas Boulevard between St. Louis and Sahara was shut down February 4 for for a multi-generational, multi-species cockroach infestation.
Roaches were found throughout the kitchen, including on sticky traps with numerous moving/living multi-generational roaches.
Utensils were stored in standing water, there was mold in the ice machine and heavy grease build-up on pipes, equipment, floors, foam and caulking.
$5 Cafe re-opened February 6 with a zero-demerit A grade.
Messages left for the manager were not returned.
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Health report for 99-Cents Only store on Nellis & Charleston
Complaint for 99-Cents Only store on Nellis & Charleston
