TIFTON, Ga. (WALB) - On this week’s Restaurant Report, El Jarocho Mexican Grill 2 was featured as they received a 100 on their food service inspection.

Gael Acosta is the son of Agustin Acosta, who owns El Jarocho. Gael explained that his father worked at the same location as El Jarocho 25 years ago, when it was another Mexican restaurant.

“My dad was a dishwasher and a busboy... Then he worked his way up, and 25 years later, full circle moment, he’s able to say he owns his own Mexican Restaurant at the same location.”

El Jarocho has gotten a 100 on its last 5 health inspections since 2024, according to the Georgia Department of Public Health.

“We have a great staff, our team is really good at what they do. They take it very seriously every day, and we try to instill in them that cleanliness is the number one importance.”

To keep the restaurant inspection-ready, Gael emphasizes that labels in the kitchen make for a clean environment.

“Everything is labeled, so if it’s in the cooler or if it’s in the secondary cooler where we grab from big coolers to put in the smaller coolers, everything is labeled to the date.”

At El Jarocho, most of their staff have been there “from the beginning,” which contributes to how well they all work together.

“Most of our servers have been there since the very beginning, so when it comes to training, we don’t really have to train too often because we don’t have servers who leave”, says Gael. “We like to treat all of our staff as family, so it’s a family restaurant, and they’re a part of the family.”

Cross-contamination is one of the major reasons why restaurants lose points on their food service inspections.

Gael explains that to prevent cross-contamination, having a different utensil for each food item greatly reduces the risk.

For restaurant owners who have not gotten perfect scores on their inspections, Gael said, “As a leader, when you go in your restaurant, make sure you lead by example, and you [have to] take more pride than anyone else does because no ones [going to] take care of your stuff better than you yourself.”

Gael and his father hope to continue curating a welcoming environment for all people to enjoy authentic Mexican food, but also for their regulars who come every day, and if not every day, every week.

“We try to treat everybody like family who comes into our restaurant.”

>>Click here to view last week’s Restaurant Report<<

Below is a list of restaurants that were inspected from May 4 through May 11 in South Georgia:

Restaurants from this week’s food service inspection are listed below, infractions included:

1. El Jarocho Mexican Grill 2
2. Tater Saladz
   1. Infractions
      1. Violation of Code:[511-6-1.07(5)(f)]Observed a wet mop in the mop bucket not hung to dry properly.
3. Siam Sushi and Thai Cuisine
   1. Infractions
      1. Violation of Code:[511-6-1.07(3)(b)]Observed handwash sink on the far left side of the kitchen with no paper towels.
      2. Violation of Code:[511-6-1.05(7)(b)]Observed black buildup in the large ice machine in the facility.
      3. Violation of Code:[511-6-1.04(6)(c)]Observed frozen raw chicken and frozen raw beef/pork mixture being improperly thawed on the prep top table.
      4. Violation of Code:[511-6-1.04(4)(k)]Observed to go bowls being used as scoops in the salt and brown sugar containers.
      5. Violation of Code:[511-6-1.05(6)(r)]Observed several 5-gallon soy sauce buckets being reused to store other food products.
      6. Violation of Code:[511-6-1.05(6)(r)]Observed to go bowls being used as scoops in salt and brown sugar containers. Violation of Code:[511-6-1.05(6)(b)]Observed two cutting boards in the facility that did not look clean to the eye.
4. DJ’s Lounge & Grill
   1. Infractions
      1. Violation of Code:[511-6-1.04(4)(c)1(i)(ii)(iii)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii)]Observed raw chicken and raw pork chop stored on shelf above sausage.
      2. Violation of Code:[511-6-1.04(6)(f)]Observed TCS food items (shredded cheese, raw chicken, and sausage) in WIC being maintained above 41 degrees Fahrenheit.
      3. Violation of Code:[511-6-1.04(6)(c)]Observed raw chicken wings thawing in standing water in the meat sink.
      4. Violation of Code:[511-6-1.07(5)(a),(b)]Observed walk in cooler with a leak.
5. New Flava Restaurant
   1. Infractions
      1. Violation of Code:[511-6-1.04(4)(c)1(iv)]Observed cabbages near warmer cabinet stored uncovered.
      2. Violation of Code:[511-6-1.04(6)(f)]Observed cornbread dressing in warmer cabinet maintained at a temperature below 135 degrees Fahrenheit.
6. Hardee’s
7. Los Cuates Taquería Michoacana

Below, you can find the food service inspection document for each restaurant covered in this week’s report:

El Jarocho Mexican Grill 2

Tater Saladz

Siam Sushi and Thai Cuisine

DJ’s Lounge & Grill

New Flava Restaurant

Hardee’s

Los Cuates Taquería Michoacana

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