Behind the Kitchen Door: Roach infestation forces closure of South Park Mall food court business

Popular River Walk bar also plagued by pests

SAN ANTONIO – An infestation of roaches forced the temporary closure of a South Park Mall food court vendor in July.

Pretzelmaker

A health inspector suspended Pretzelmaker’s license on July 27 “due to unsanitary conditions and a roach infestation.”

Live roaches were found under sinks, inside the ice machine and behind boxes. Dead roaches were found inside cabinets and in front of the soda machine. There was also a fly ribbon above the food prep area and the inside of the ice machine was “soiled with a mold-like residue.”

The violations earned them a score of 81.

According to follow-up reports, the inspector reinstated Pretzelmaker’s license on July 29 even after he found live roaches.

The inspector returned on August 10 and August 25 for re-inspections. The roach problem appears to be resolved and the business has corrected several other violations.

The Esquire Tavern

Roaches are a common sight on the San Antonio River Walk, but you don’t expect them to be crawling around where you eat and drink.

The Esquire Tavern downtown earned an 84 despite having a roach problem.

The inspector noted “numerous live and crawling roaches throughout the establishment,” including some that were creeping across the main countertop and under a mat used for clean glasses.

The manager stated they receive pest control services but failed to provide any invoices.

There was also exposed, cooked meat in a cooler under a dirty cooler fan, a buildup of grease on vent hoods and a moldy sludge on the sliding door tracks of bar coolers and in cold hold units.


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 six months and are frequently updated.

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

ALSO ON KSAT.COM

Watch other Behind the Kitchen Door stories here


About the Authors:

Dale Keller is senior news photographer at KSAT-12.