La Quinta Dickey’s Barbeque Pit closed by health department
Update – 9/6:
Health officials have allowed the restaurant to reopen as the air conditioner has been fixed.
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Original Story – 8/24:
The Riverside County Department of Environmental Health has shut down Dickey’s Barbeque Pit in La Quinta following an inspection.
A report filed by the Department of Environmental Health states that the restaurant was closed because of a “lack of proper ventilation” and no person in charge being present.
The inspector noted that the building was very hot, with the temperature in the lobby area reading 90 degrees Fahrenheit and 100 degrees in the back of the building. The inspector reported that the lone employee working at the restaurant was sweating while cutting meat. The employee told the inspector the A/C had not been working for a month.
Check the health grades of other Riverside County restaurants
The inspector also reported seeing the walk-in unit’s door open. The employee said it had been open for around 30 minutes. The inspector measured one box of raw beef to be 53 degrees and a bin of coleslaw at 60 degrees. The inspector directed the employee to throw away the coleslaw and chill any potentially hazardous foods to 41 degrees.
According to a complaint filed by a Dickey’s customer, the owner of the restaurant said the A/C would be repaired sometime in mid-September.
“At Dickey’s Barbecue Pit, the safety of guests and integrity of our barbecue is our top priority. We are working diligently with the owner of the store to ensure the highest safety and health protocols are in place. We are confident the La Quinta Dickeys will reopen in the near future.”
– Communications Director, Dickey’s Barbecue Restaurants, Inc.
One Dickey’s La Quinta customer remembers being in the restaurant before it closed.
“It was really hot here. It was like a week ago, and I was like, ‘why isn’t the air conditioning on?’,” said Joe Mora.
Mora says he visits Dickey’s Barbecue Pit in La Quinta fairly often.
“It didn’t seem like a normal Dickey’s. There was something, and I couldn’t put my finger on it. I blamed it on maybe the air conditioner, but it just wasn’t the same. They’re usually on it with everything, you know, cleanliness, everything,” Mora said.
Dottie Merki, Program Chief II/ PIO for Riverside County Department of Environmental Health, says the department received the complaint from a customer on July 30. An inspector went to the location the same day and closed the restaurant.
The facilities last inspection was June 25, 2018. The restaurant earned an A grade, but according to Merki they passed with a 90 score, which is considered “just passing” in Riverside County. Anything below a 90 score is considered a failing grade in Riverside County.
During the June 25th inspection, Merki says the inspector reported flies in the restaurant and bad equipment.
The store failed inspection prior to that. On August 30, 2017 Dickey’s Barbecue Pit La Quinta received a B grade, with some of the same violations that shut the store down currently.
“At that time (August 30, 2017) they were written up for improper food temperatures, inadequate hand washing facilities, floors, walls, ceilings not clean, inadequate ventilation,” Merki said.
Dickey’s La Quinta didn’t have to shut down for receiving the B grade last year. The store fixed the problems and received an A grade by Sept. 14, 2017.
Merki says another inspection will take place in September.
Please note that Dickey’s are franchised and the numerous stores throughout the Coachella Valley are under different ownership.
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