The inspector marked down more than half a dozen violations that could cause potential foodborne illness.

The grade is a 69 at Los Toritos of Crossville on Peavine Road in Crossville. That is a failing score as any grade of 69 and below is considered failing.

Los Toritos, 224 Peavine Rd, Crossville — Grade: 69, Follow-up Grade: 91

To begin with, the inspector said he watched a kitchen worker talking on a cell phone, once it was put down, the employee started preparing food without washing his hands first. Had the worker tried to wash his hands in the employee hand sink, he couldn’t. The inspector found it blocked by a large metal container and buckets.

The inspector found beef thawing a plain water, which is not allowed in restaurants. To slow down the growth of bacteria, one way to properly thaw frozen is in the refrigerator, not in water.

The inspector found a container of beef left out on a counter to cool. The temperature of the beef was 88 degrees and at that temperature, bacteria grows rapidly. A large container of rice was left uncovered next to a sink, which could possibly create foodborne illness if some of the dirty water accidentally splashes onto the rice.

When the inspector asked to speak to the person in charge about the violations, there was no manager on-site at the restaurant.

The inspector returned to Los Toritos of Crossville and the manager was there this time. The critical violations were checked. All had been corrected, the new grade is a 91.

Los Toritos Health Department Inspection Report

You can view the inspectors report and recent inspections from the restaurant by clicking the links below: