Montgomery restaurant reopens with new health score

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WSFA) - A Montgomery restaurant that was closed due to a low health inspection score has reopened.

The Alabama Department of Public Health recently closed Carlito’s Mexican Grill on Minnie Brown Road after an inspection found multiple critical violations, resulting in a 49 on its health score.

ADPH said Carlito’s was closed after a June 22 inspection.

The health department later confirmed that Carlito’s reopened Tuesday with a score of 85.

Among the issues ADPH found that prompted the June 22 low score were:

An employee was handling cooked food with their bare hands.
There was no employee with a manager’s food safety certification at the establishment during the inspection.
An employee was handling food without the proper hair restraints.
Open employee drinks were improperly stored in the food preparation area.
Cut lettuce, sour cream, shredded cheese, and pico de gallo were between 47° to 54°F in the make-table cooler.
Cooked beans were not properly dated in the walk-in cooler.
Several pans of food in the walk-in cooler were not covered.
A serving spoon handle was improperly stored in cooked rice.
The ice machine contained mold.
Dirty dishes were stored with clean.
The establishment was reusing containers that could not be properly cleaned and sanitized.
The reach-in cooler, walk-in cooler, and walk-in freezer gaskets needed to be cleaned.
The exterior of the salsa buckets needed to be cleaned.
Wiping cloths were not stored in sanitizer buckets between use.
Clean utensils were not properly stored with the handles up.
Several floor drains were backing up into the kitchen and employee restroom.
The dumpster was leaking.
The dumpster was open and the area needed to be cleaned.
The bar handsink was blocked.
Several handsinks did not have soap and paper towels.
There were flies in the kitchen and the dumpster area.
The ceiling and floor tiles needed to be cleaned and replaced throughout.
The back door needed a self closure.
The hood needed to be cleaned.