Popular Tops #2 Drive Is Back on Top, After Three Tries

A popular Pasadena fast-food restaurant has been allowed to reopen days after it was closed by the city’s health department for a number of major violations of cleanliness and food safety standards.

Tops Drive No. 2 at 1792 E. Walnut Street was closed on March 29 after inspectors reported observing live and dead cockroaches near one of the food storage areas in the facility.

Inspectors also said they saw employees not following safe food-handling guidelines, including not properly washing hands and using soiled wiping cloths on food contact surfaces.

The restaurant was given a score of 47 during the inspection, way below the minimum passing score of 85 points.

The next day, March 30, inspectors came back to examine progress but said they still found cockroaches and ordered the facility to seal all holes, cracks and crevices, and to obtain a pest control manager.

In a separate follow-up on the same day, inspectors reported finding the health department closure placard had been covered with another sign saying “We Are Closed.” That is prohibited, they said.

Inspectors also said posted health inspection summary reports had been taken down, which is also a separate violation.
Finally on March 31, another inspection was conducted at the owner’s request to verify all requested corrections had been implemented.

Tops Drive In No. 2 was given a score of 94 after inspectors saw all major violations have been corrected, and the permit to operate was reinstated.