Honey Bear Boba Closes After Sanitizer Violations Found

Honey Bear Boba at 801 22nd Street in San Francisco's SOMA district has been ordered closed by health inspectors after a routine inspection revealed critical sanitization failures that posed serious risks to customer safety. During this inspection conducted on November 3, 2025, health officials discovered three significant violations related to food contact surface sanitization and cleaning issues that could have exposed customers to dangerous bacteria including Salmonella and E. coli.

Critical Sanitization Failures

The most serious violation involved the restaurant's failure to maintain proper chlorine sanitizer buckets at the required 100 parts per million concentration. Inspector Montre Tieu found that the establishment was operating without the mandatory sanitizer solution that serves as the primary defense against cross contamination on food contact surfaces. Health experts emphasize that dirty cutting boards and utensils are responsible for 76% of cross-contamination incidents in commercial kitchens. Without proper chlorine sanitizer, biofilms can form on surfaces, creating protective barriers that shield harmful bacteria from standard cleaning procedures. This means that even surfaces that appear clean can harbor dangerous pathogens that spread to food items. The inspection also revealed improper storage of wiping cloths, which were not being kept in designated buckets of chlorine sanitizer solution. This violation was cited twice during the inspection, indicating the widespread nature of the problem throughout the facility's operations.

Health Risks to Customers

The violations discovered at the restaurant created conditions where millions of bacteria could spread across food preparation surfaces. Wiping cloths used on raw ingredients or contaminated surfaces without proper sanitization become vehicles for transferring pathogens throughout the kitchen, potentially contaminating every food item they contact. Customers who visited Honey Bear Boba before the closure could have been exposed to foodborne illnesses through beverages and food items prepared on improperly sanitized surfaces. The popular boba shop, located near the 4th & King Caltrain station, serves a steady stream of commuters and neighborhood residents who rely on safe food handling practices.

Inspection Details

The routine inspection lasted one hour, from 1:05 PM to 2:05 PM, and resulted in an immediate failure rating. All three violations were marked as corrected on site, indicating that staff attempted to address the issues during the inspector's visit. However, the severity of the sanitization failures warranted immediate closure to protect public health. Inspector Montre Tieu, who can be reached at montre.tieu@sfdph.org, documented specific corrective actions required, including the immediate establishment of proper sanitizer buckets and implementation of correct wiping cloth storage procedures.

First-Time Inspection

This marks the first recorded inspection for Honey Bear Boba since the establishment began operations, making it unclear whether these sanitization problems were longstanding issues or recent developments. The facility has no previous inspection history to provide context for these violations. The restaurant received the inspection report from manager Wenchu Shao, who is now responsible for implementing all required corrective measures before the establishment can reopen for business. Honey Bear Boba remains closed pending reinspection and verification that all sanitization protocols have been properly implemented and maintained. The San Francisco Department of Public Health has not provided a timeline for potential reopening. Author: Staff Reporter at SF Restaurant Inspections