Dining out in Lubbock took a cautionary turn this week after Las Palmas Mexican Restaurant was forced to shutter its doors temporarily. Following a rigorous health inspection at its 50th Street location, officials discovered a staggering 39 violations that painted a grim picture of the establishment’s sanitary conditions. The issues ranged from critical temperature failures to basic hygiene lapses, leading inspectors to conclude that there was a complete lack of active managerial control over the kitchen operations.
Among the most alarming findings were raw proteins including fish, chicken, and tripas being stored well above the safe threshold of 41 degrees because of a malfunctioning walk-in cooler. In one particularly concerning instance, raw fish was found sitting on a dry storage shelf at 64 degrees, while other seafood was left to thaw in stagnant water on the kitchen floor. Cross-contamination risks were rampant throughout the facility, with raw fish stored directly above ready-to-eat beans and employees using hand sinks to dump fish thawing water rather than for washing their hands.
The laundry list of problems extended beyond food safety to general cleanliness and equipment maintenance. Inspectors reported finding black residue in ice buckets, chipped and broken utensils, and heavily dented cans which posed a risk of botulism. Even simple protocols were ignored; one employee was clocked washing their hands for only nine seconds when twenty is the required minimum. Personal items like cell phones and eyeglasses were also spotted resting on food preparation surfaces alongside unidentified red powders stored in unmarked containers.
While Las Palmas has since reopened after a mandatory 24 hour closure to fix these errors, they remain under scrutiny and must submit a formal corrective action plan to ensure these mistakes aren’t repeated. They weren’t the only local spot facing heat from regulators; Capital Pizza also struggled during its inspection with 27 violations involving improper sanitization and sewage backup at a hand sink. While some restaurants stumbled, others shone through, with Sweet Creations on Broadway earning recognition as one of the city’s top performers for maintaining high standards.
