Gus's Market Gets Conditional Pass for Storage Issues

Gus's Community Market on Harrison Street in the Mission district received a conditional pass during a routine health inspection on December 4, 2025, with inspectors identifying several minor violations that require correction while allowing the establishment to remain open for business. The community market faced five total violations during this inspection, with four classified as major and one minor violation. However, the establishment was able to immediately correct two violations on site, demonstrating the staff's responsiveness to food safety concerns.

Inspection Details

Health inspectors conducting the routine inspection between 2:00 PM and 3:35 PM identified the most significant issue as improper cooling procedures for prepared foods. Inspectors measured a deep plastic container of tuna salad at 48 degrees Fahrenheit, with employees stating the salad had been prepared from room temperature approximately one hour prior to the inspection. The violation was immediately corrected when employees transferred the tuna salad into smaller metal containers for rapid cooling, following proper food safety protocols. Additional violations discovered during the inspection included a mold-like substance found on the interior surface of the ice machine, though inspectors noted that no ice was found to be contaminated. The market also had issues with food storage practices, with several boxes of food stored directly on the floor throughout the walk-in refrigerators, violating proper food storage guidelines.

Immediate Corrections Made

The market's staff demonstrated good cooperation with health officials by immediately addressing correctable violations during the inspection. In addition to the tuna salad cooling issue, inspectors observed a sanitizer bucket stored adjacent to active food preparation areas with potential risk of food contamination. This violation was promptly corrected when staff relocated the sanitizer bucket to the bottom shelf, away from food preparation surfaces. The facility also had shell stock tags that were not maintained in chronological order, a documentation issue that affects traceability of seafood products but does not pose immediate health risks to customers.

Community Market Operations

Located at 2111 Harrison Street near the 24th Street Mission BART station, Gus's Community Market serves the diverse Mission neighborhood with prepared foods and grocery items. The market, operated by Varda Holding Company LLC, continues normal operations while addressing the outstanding violations identified during the inspection. The conditional pass status allows the establishment to remain open while working to resolve the identified issues. The most critical concerns center around proper food storage practices and equipment maintenance, particularly addressing the ice machine cleaning and ensuring all food products are stored off the floor in refrigerated areas.

Next Steps

The market will need to demonstrate correction of the outstanding violations to maintain compliance with San Francisco health codes. This includes thorough cleaning of the ice machine to remove the mold-like substance and implementing proper food storage procedures in the walk-in refrigerators. The facility must also ensure that shell stock documentation follows required chronological ordering for proper traceability. Given the cooperative response during the inspection and the immediate corrections made on site, the market appears committed to maintaining food safety standards while serving the Mission community. The violations identified are correctable operational issues rather than fundamental food safety failures, indicating the establishment's overall commitment to safe food handling practices.