By: Robert Dewey | [email protected]

Hutchinson, KS

El Potrillo Restaurant

2301 N MAIN
HUTCHINSON, KS 67502
620-664-9824

Kansas Department of Agriculture’s (KDA) food safety and lodging program conducted an unannounced retail food inspection on 8/18/2020. As a result of that inspection, and due to the severity of the specific violations El Potrillo Restaurant was cited as being, “Out of Compliance” with Kansas food safety regulations. During this inspection a total of 12 violations were found.

The inspector made the following comments in support of the violations found during the inspection:

• Employee opened small paper bags with her bare hands by sticking her hand inside the bag before using a large spoon to place ready to eat tortilla chips inside the bag. Employee was provided education by manager and she donned gloves then placing her hand into a bag to open it up without washing her hands. Corrected on Site: gloves discarded and she washed her hands. (2) bags of chips were discarded.
• In the wait station reach in refrigerator, there is an open gallon of milk without a date mark. Person in charge does not know when it was opened. Corrected on Site: discarded by person in charge In the kitchen refrigerated prep table #2, there is a stainless steel pan with sealed Reduced Oxygen Packages of fish. Person in charge said they were removed from the freezer yesterday. (held <48 hrs). Corrected on Site: packages cut open.
• Roasted red peppers(147’f) filling half of a plastic 5 gallon container in the Walk-in Cooler stored on a wire shelving unit. 1 hr later, temperature=122’F. Corrected on Site: peppers placed in a 4″ stainless steel pan and returned to Walk-in Cooler to cool. Peppers are approximately 3″ deep. Person in charge reheated peppers to over 165’F and started the cooling process over by placing the peppers in an ice bath in (2) separate stainless steel pans, placing in the Walk-in Cooler.
• In the wait station reach in refrigerator and in the Walk-in Cooler, there are small bowls of Flan without a date mark. Person in charge said they were made on 8/16.; In the kitchen refrigerated prep table #1, their is a stainless steel pan of cooked shrimp without a date mark. Person in charge said the shrimp was cooked on 8/16.; In the Walk-in Cooler there is a pan of cooked shredded chicken, a pan of cooked pork and a pan of battered cooked peppers. Person in charge said the chicken was cooked on 8/16 and the pork and peppers were cooked on 8/17 (unsure what time peppers and pork were cooked).(Held >24hrs,<7days) Corrected on Site: date marked accordingly
• In the kitchen refrigerated prep table #1, there is an open can of Tomato Puree. Person in charge said it was opened on 8/16; In the Walk-in Cooler, there are (2) open gallons of milk. Person in charge said they were opened on 8/16 when they were brought from the local grocer.; In the kitchen refrigerated prep table #2, there is an open carton of Mole (made with peppers) without a date mark. Person in charge said it was opened on 8/16. (Held >24 hrs,<7days). Corrected on Site: date marked accordingly.
• On a kitchen wire shelving unit in the dry storage area, there is a non-food grade black plastic container with dry seasonings used to make Salsa. The plastic container does not have any embossed markings indicating it is a food grade container. Corrected on Site: Person in charge placed seasonings into food grade container and discarded the black container and lid.
• Stored as clean and ready to use on a kitchen wire shelving unit, there is a manual dicer with the plunger grid that is broken, allowing food debris in and under this part. Corrected on Site: removed from service until replacement part is ordered and replaced. Stored as clean and ready to use on a kitchen wire shelving unit, there are large plastic containers that are broken and cracked into the food contact surface. Corrected on Site: plastic containers discarded by person in charge. In the outside storage area, there are dried chili peppers being stored in a non-food grade container that is cracked into the food contact surface. Person in charge said they do not use these peppers anymore for their recipes. Corrected on Site: Person in charge had peppers and container discarded into outside dumpster.
• Stored as clean and ready to use on a kitchen wire shelving unit, there is a manual dicer with food debris on the food contact surface of the plunger and the cutting blades. Corrected on Site: removed from service due to plunger grid is broken on the corner with food debris in and under the metal portion of the plunger.
• Stored clean and ready to use, the (2) dial thermometers have dried food debris on the food contact surface(probe). Person in charge said he uses paper towels to clean them off. Corrected on Site: KDA111 provided education on the necessity to use sanitization when cleaning. KDA111 left several alcohol pads.
• In the kitchen prep/wait station, there is hand soap in the dispenser, but no soap can be dispensed. Person in charge said a new dispenser has been ordered. Corrected on Site: a bottle of soap was placed at the hand washing sink.
• Stored on top of the grease trap under the ware washing hand washing sink, there is a pressure sprayer and a spray bottle without labels. The spray bottle has a dark pink liquid content. Person in charge identified the contents of both as Degreaser. Corrected on Site: both labeled accordingly. There are blue buckets with wiping cloths being stored in the liquid solution identified by person in charge as Chlorine sanitizing solution. The buckets do not have a label on them. Corrected on Site: Buckets labeled accordingly.
• In the dry storage area, there are bottles of liquid Peroxide and Alcohol, bottles of medicine tablets and an aerosol can of wound cleaner on a shelf over a chest freezer. (No leakage detected) Corrected on Site: medicines relocated