Facade of the new Bar Camino in Walnut Creek, Calif., on Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2022. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)
During a routine health and safety inspection at Bar Camino in Walnut Creek on Dec. 28, an inspector found a number of rodent droppings on the premises and ordered the restaurant to close. The restaurant was closed for 10 hours before a reinspection on Dec. 29 permitted it to reopen, according to Mario Hernandez at Bar Camino.
The inspector found rodent droppings, a major violation of the county’s environmental health standards, throughout the restaurant, including in the dry storage room, utensil storage, food prep area, cook line and server station and alcohol storage area, according to the report.
To be allowed to reopen, a restaurant needs a pest control company report verifying that the facility has been treated and measures to control rodents put in place. This includes making sure there are no live rodents, removing droppings, sanitizing the area, eliminating any potentially contaminated food items, sealing holes and entryways, properly storing food and garbage among other steps, according to the report.
Bar Camino opened in late 2022 as the successor to El Charro, the former restaurant at 1470 N. Broadway. The restaurant is located near the creek that gives the city of Walnut Creek its name. A commenter responding to a Facebook post about the closure said he suspected the rodents may have come from the creek.
Originally published at Kate Bradshaw