SF Bagel Worker Touches Money, Body Parts, Then Food

A disturbing scene unfolded at Noahs New York Bagels #2105 when health inspectors witnessed an employee handle money, touch their body parts, and then grab a bagel without washing their hands - a brazen violation of basic food safety that could sicken customers. The shocking incident occurred during a week of inspections from August 10-17 that resulted in 12 restaurant closures across San Francisco.

The employee's actions at Noah's represent one of the most egregious personal hygiene violations inspectors can encounter. Direct contamination from unwashed hands after touching money and body parts can spread dangerous bacteria including E. coli, salmonella, and norovirus to food products. The violation was particularly alarming as it happened in full view during an active inspection, raising questions about what occurs when inspectors aren't present.

Beyond the hand hygiene disaster, inspectors found multiple critical violations at the bagel shop including half and half stored at 56°F and egg whites at a dangerous 74°F - both had to be discarded immediately. The facility's sanitizing buckets contained no measurable sanitizer solution, and wiping cloths were stored without any sanitizer. Food particles covered equipment and gloves while the floor drain was visibly soiled.

Restaurant Closures

The week's inspections forced 12 establishments to immediately cease operations due to severe health violations. Uncle Vitos Pizza LLC was shuttered after inspectors discovered live German cockroaches crawling in the kitchen, including one adult roach in a crack above the two-compartment sink and another crawling down the wall near the dishwashing area. Mouse droppings littered multiple locations throughout the facility including the back kitchen floor, hallway, and the "flour nook" where bulk bins were stored.

Kim Son Restaurant failed inspection and closed after operating without a food manager certification and lacking proper consumer advisory warnings on their menu. The facility had no barrier between the dishwasher drainboards and food preparation sink, creating significant cross-contamination risks.

Little Nepal Indian Cuisine was forced to close after inspectors found cooked chicken from the previous evening stored at 58°F in the cold prep top. Staff were storing food in an apartment residence above the facility rather than in the permitted restaurant space. A food storage lid with visible rodent bite marks was discovered, and the facility had no sanitizer set up in their three-compartment sink.

Whole Foods Market surprisingly joined the closure list after sanitizer spray bottles in the deli tested at 0 ppm quaternary ammonia - completely ineffective for killing bacteria. The main preparation kitchen dishwasher required immediate verification of proper function.

Brochette Dumpling closed after inspectors found yellowish residue coating the interior of the ice machine and turbid sanitizing solution with no measurable sanitizer present during food preparation.

Most Serious Violations

Temperature abuse plagued multiple establishments beyond the closures. Yemeni Kabab & Mediterranean stored yogurt drinks at 54°F in a Pepsi merchandiser that measured 56°F ambient temperature. The drinks had been placed there the night before and were voluntarily discarded. Raw meats were stored above ready-to-eat foods in their upright cooler, creating serious contamination risks.

Big Apple Pizza N Grill lacked soap at the kitchen handwash sink when inspectors arrived. Chicken measured 44°F on top of the large sandwich preparation cooler, while Canadian bacon reached 55°F on the pizza prep cooler top.

Fish and Farm couldn't provide any food safety manager or food handler certifications. Multiple foods ranging from 45-60°F were found in malfunctioning walk-in coolers, forcing staff to discard ham, chicken, rice, macaroni, pooled eggs, and Caesar dressing. Both towel buckets in the bar contained 0 ppm chlorine sanitizer.

Bento Taro operated without food handler cards for any employees. Pot stickers measured 103°F, egg rolls at 100°F, and fried potatoes at 103°F on the steam table - all dangerously below the required 135°F holding temperature.

Pest Infestations

Rodent and insect activity created unsanitary conditions at multiple locations. Reliance Market had old rodent droppings and bait under shelving for cooking oils and wine. Personal belongings including used toothbrushes and toothpaste were stored in a paper cup near the handwash sink.

The Cadillac had organic growth inside the food preparation sink and on the ice machine panel. Staff discovered rodent droppings in the mop sink area near the water heater. Alarmingly, inspectors found "Raid" insecticide spray on the top shelf of the storeroom - a severe violation as only professional pest control products are permitted in food facilities.

Portola Grocery Outlet had holes in walls and missing cove base tiles creating harborage areas for pests. Display thermometers were absent from open display coolers, preventing temperature monitoring.

Conditional Passes

Twenty-seven establishments received conditional passes, allowing them to remain open while addressing violations. Crumbl - Lakeshore and Higher Grounds Coffee House were among those requiring immediate corrections to maintain operations.

Westin St Francis (main) received conditional status despite being a prominent hotel facility. Far West Fungi at the Ferry Building Marketplace also landed on the conditional list.

The San Francisco Sports Grill and Osha Thai Restaurant & Bar both received conditional passes requiring prompt remediation of violations to avoid closure.

Infrastructure Failures

Basic infrastructure problems created dangerous conditions at several restaurants. Chaska Restaurant had no hot running water at any sink, with temperatures maxing out at 85°F. Naan dough sat out on a speed rack at 66°F with no active preparation occurring.

Quality Gas Fr Yr Cash Arco Am/pm operated with a non-functional ice machine and broken floor tiles under the three-compartment sink creating unsanitary conditions and pest harborage areas.

Subway Sandwiches #24254 staff worked with expired food handler cards. Their sanitizer solution bucket measured below the required 200 ppm quaternary ammonium, and old food debris accumulated under the preparation table adjacent to the three-compartment sink.

Oishii Matcha lacked soap and paper towels at the handwash sink. Bags of sugar and cornstarch were stored directly on the floor rather than in food-grade containers with lids.

Results by District

The Tenderloin district showed concerning patterns with 20 inspections yielding 9 conditional passes and only 11 full passes - a 45% conditional rate that far exceeded other neighborhoods. SOMA performed significantly better with all 22 inspected facilities passing without conditions.

The Financial District saw 7 inspections with 4 conditional passes, indicating widespread issues in downtown establishments. The Mission had 5 inspections resulting in 3 conditional passes, while Inner Sunset showed better compliance with only 1 conditional among 5 inspections.

The geographic concentration of violations in the Tenderloin and Financial District suggests systemic challenges in these areas requiring enhanced oversight and operator training. The stark contrast with SOMA's perfect passing rate demonstrates that compliance is achievable with proper management and maintenance.

Reopening Success

Little Caesars successfully corrected violations and reopened after previous closure, demonstrating that facilities can recover from serious violations with proper remediation efforts.

Weekly Overview

The week of August 10-17 saw inspectors complete 104 total inspections across San Francisco. The 12 closures represented an 11.5% immediate closure rate - significantly higher than typical weekly averages. Seventeen facilities failed inspection while 27 received conditional passes, meaning 42% of all inspected restaurants had violations serious enough to threaten public health.

Only 60 establishments achieved clean passes - a 57.7% rate that highlights widespread compliance issues across the city's food service industry. The combination of temperature abuse, pest activity, missing certifications, and infrastructure failures paint a troubling picture of food safety standards.

The hand hygiene violation at Noah's New York Bagels stands as a stark reminder that even established chains can harbor dangerous practices. When employees openly violate basic sanitation rules during an inspection, it raises serious concerns about daily operations. Combined with temperature abuse that required immediate food disposal and completely ineffective sanitizer solutions, the facility's violations created multiple pathways for foodborne illness.

Health officials emphasize that proper hand washing remains the single most effective method to prevent contamination and disease transmission in food service. The brazen nature of this violation - occurring during an active inspection - suggests a fundamental breakdown in food safety culture that extends beyond individual employee actions to management oversight and training failures.

As San Francisco continues battling food safety compliance, this week's results underscore the critical importance of regular inspections and immediate enforcement actions to protect public health.

Author: Staff Reporter at SF Restaurant Inspections