A favorite spot, Black Bear Diner gets a poor health inspection

Bullhead City, AZBlack Bear Diner

From time to time we cover restaurants or events in Bullhead City, AZ.  Bullhead is right across the River from Laughlin, Nevada.  Being a close neighbor and the fact that Laughlin currently lacks much in the way of shopping, residents of Laughlin have to (or choose to) visit quite often.

A favorite restaurant that we have visited on occassion is the Black Bear Diner located right on Hwy 95 in Bullhead City.  Good home style cooking, huge portions, good prices.  See one of our reviews here.  

We routinely have been reporting on health inspections in Laughlin.  Yesterday we noticed on the Mohave County Department of Public Health (Arizona) website that the Black Bear Diner received a poor inspection on March 6, 2014.   They received a NEEDS IMPROVEMENT (see screenshots from the Department's website below.  

(click on images for a larger view)

The following was in the report associated with the inspection (taken from  Mohave County Department of Public Health):

Inspection Date: 03/06/2014 Rating: Needs Improvement
Permit Description: 1003 - FOOD SERVICE - TYPE III
Establishment: BLACK BEAR DINER
Address: 1777 HWY 95, BULLHEAD CITY
Violation(s):
2. Cooked potentially hazardous foods held at 140 ° or above
4. Cooked potentially hazardous foods cooled properly
5. Potentially hazardous foods held at proper cooling temperature
7. Hand washing facilities available and functional
13. Food handlers preventing contamination of ready-to-eat food by limiting bare hand contact to approved methods
18. Food separation, packaging, segregation and substitution methods are preventing food and ingredient contamination
19. Effective food contact controls are preventing food contamination
20. Food contact surfaces and equipment are cleaned frequently and properly to prevent food contamination
21. Food contact surfaces and equipment are sanitized frequently and properly to prevent food contamination
27. Other critical and non-critical items in compliance

Inspector Notes:
2. CHICKEN BREASTS FOUND IN THE STEAM TABLE AT 127 F. CHICKEN NEEDS TO BE KEPT AT 140 F OR MORE IF COOKED TO 165 OR COOLED TO 41 F AND RE-HEATED TO 165. IF PAR-COOKED CHICKEN IS BEING HELD IN THE STEAM TABLE A STEP BY STEP PROCEDURE MUST BE SUBMITTED IN WRITING EXPLAINING ALL TIME AND TEMPS OF EACH STEP AND THIS WILL BE REVIEWED TO MAKE SURE THE CHICKEN IS KEPT AND PREPARED IN A SAFE MANNER. BEANS AND GRAVY WERE ALSO UNDER 140 F IN THE STEAM TABLE. 4. FROZEN FOOD FOUND THAWING UNDER STREAM OF RUNNING WATER AT 73 F. WATER NEEDS TO BE 70 F OR LESS TO THAW. USUALLY ONLY DEC THRU FEB HAS COLD ENOUGH WATER TEMPS IN BHC TO PROPERLY THAW PHF. WHEN COOLING IN THE WALK-IN COOLER DO NOT COVER TIGHTLY UNTIL FOOD IS COOLED TO 41 F OR LESS THEN COVER WITH PLASTIC WRAP OR UNCRACK LID THAT LETS STEAM OUT TO TIGHTLY CLOSED POSITION. 5. WAITRESS STATION PREP TOP FOR DRESSINGS AND SAUCES IS NOT HOLDING AT 41 F OR LESS. IT IS THE 50'S AND LOW 60'S. PUT EVERYTHING ON A TIME/DISCARD PLAN UNTIL UNIT IS FIXED. COOK LINE PREP TOP AND REACH-IN ARE RUNNING A COUPLE OF DEGREES WARM. CHECK UNIT TO SEE IF IT CAN BE TURNED COLDER. 7. THE HAND SINK BY THE COOK-LINE HAS NO PAPER TOWELS. COOKS WERE OBSERVED WASHING HANDS AT HAND SINK BY THE DISHWASHER. STEPS AND TIME COULD BE SAVED IF THEIR (COOKS) HAND SINK WAS FUNCTIONAL. 13 AND 18. COOK OBSERVED CRACKING EGGS AND LATER TOUCHING PLATE AND EGGS ON PLATE WITH GLOVES AND BARE HAND THAT HAD RAW EGG ON THEM. ALSO OBSERVED GLOVES WIPED ON BLUE RAGS IN STATION. THE TOWEL BUCKET RAG WASN'T USED-A DRY BUT NOT VERY CLEAN RAG WAS USED TO WIPE COUNTER AND FINGERS. USE SANITIZER TOWELS TO WIPE COUNTERS AND SURFACES AND WASH HANDS BETWEEN TASKS IN THE HAND SINK. 19. FISH FILLETS FOUND UNCOVERED IN THE WALK-IN. RAW FISH SHOULD ALWAYS BE COVERED. 20. BLACK MOLD FOUND ON MANY SURFACES IN THE WALK-IN COOLER. PICTURES TAKEN. PLEASE WASH, RINSE AND SANITIZE WITH HYPO-CHLORINATED RINSE TO REMOVE MOLD. 21. NO QUAT TEST STRIPS COULD BE FOUND. PLEASE GET ASAP. SANITIZER BUCKET WAS A BIT WEAK. 27. DON'T USE UTENSIL COMPARTMENT WITH DUCT TAPE AS DUCT TAPE CAN NOT BE SANITIZED PROPERLY. CONTINUE TO DEEP CLEAN ALL SURFACES. HOLE NEXT TO COMP SINK NEEDS TO BE FIXED. PICTURES TAKEN. A FOLLOW-UP INSPECTION WILL BE CONDUCTED ON OR AFTER 3-13-14.

-- end of report --

There are a few bothersome mentions in this above report, among them the mention of Black Mold.  It appears they will be re-inspected on or after 3-13-14.  We will keep a watch on how that re-inspection turns out.  In the meantime, obviously, we  won't be dining there, nor recommending it to anyone. 

It also appears that this Black Bear Diner (it is a chain) has a history of receiving NEEDS IMPROVEMENT ratings over the past three years (see the larger graphic above). 

The Mohave County Department of Public Health Website for searching restaurant inspections is located here.   You can search by name or city.  Both Bullhead City and Fort Mohave (Arizona) are neighbors to Laughlin and are located in Mohave County.

Visit us at our Laughlin Buzz HomePage 

*All content in this blog post are presented for informational purposes only and use data taken from the Mohave County Department of Public Health website.   We received no compensation from the properties or restaurants in this blog post and are not in any way affiliated with them.