Behind the Kitchen Door: San Antonio buffet racks up smorgasbord of violations

Live bird flying inside and an “abundance” of roaches top the list of stomach-churning items cited by health inspector

SAN ANTONIO – A buffet with a smorgasbord of problems, including a live bird flying around inside and roaches in the meat grinder, tops the list of recent health inspections of San Antonio restaurants.

Grand Buffet

Grand Buffet, located in the 600 block of Southwest Military Drive, earned a 78 on its recent inspection. The violations cited by the inspector were almost as numerous as the food options on the menu.

The report states kitchen staff began cleaning when the inspector arrived, but the cooks did not wash their hands before returning to handling food.

A box of celery and cabbage was wilted and brown with a black residue. It was thrown out.

A box of potatoes had a mold-like substance, and the jalapenos had signs of rot, according to the inspector’s report.

The meat cutter/grinder had dead roaches and dust on it. There were live roaches in the kitchen and even more dead roaches throughout the business.

The inspector noted there were also flies in the kitchen and even a live pigeon flying around inside the restaurant. The ice machine was also soiled with black residue.

Seven of the violations were corrected y staffers during the inspection.

Village#1

Village#1 in the 1500 block of New Braunfels Avenue earned a 79.

There was a sewage backup in the food prep area caused by faulty plumbing. The report states the floor floods when the sinks are turned on.

Raw meat was stored above loaves of bread and baked goods, and there was also an unapproved BBQ pit outside.

Circle K

Finally, the Circle K in the 1100 block of AT&T Center Parkway earned an 81.

They had moldy cheese that was more than a month past the discard date. It was tossed out.

There was a mold like substance on the soda machines, multiple fruit flies in the food prep area, and a multi-tasking employee was caught eating a sandwich while preparing food for customers.


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

Just click this link, and it will take you to a new mapping tool we have showing the recent scores for San Antonio food businesses.

The reports go back two years and are frequently updated.

You can catch Tim’s BKD reports Thursday’s on the Nightbeat.

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About the Authors

Dale Keller is senior news photographer at KSAT-12.

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