An up-and-coming Fresno taco truck caught the public’s attention when the operators secured a permanent spot in central Fresno.

Tacos El Cabezon had its trompos of al pastor spinning for everyone to see when it opened at Shaw and Maroa avenues.

The city of Fresno even shared on its Instagram page about the restaurant’s popularity.

But soon after Tacos El Cabezon opened, Fresno County Department of Public Health received two complaints — one from a person who says they got sick after eating there, said Matthew Gore, supervising environmental health specialist with the Fresno County Department of Public Health.

A closer look at that restaurant by Fresno County health inspectors exposed numerous health hazards, including meats and veggies stored overnight unrefrigerated, and “excessive” flies. They also weren’t properly permitted or outfitted for the outdoor cooking that made them popular, according to the inspection report.

“We went out right away and talked with the owner and told him what he needed to do to be in compliance,” Gore said. “We followed on several times. Multiple, multiple times, my lead inspector would stop back in and check on the progress and see if they had changed how they were operating.”

Fresno County Public Health Hires More Inspectors

Maintaining health standards is an continuous battle, Gore said.

The county’s Public Health Department hired several new staff members after a 2024 report from the Fresno County Civil Grand Jury said staffing levels essentially the same as the 1990s couldn’t keep up with a rapid expansion of new restaurants.

“With the turnover in the restaurant businesses and even within staffing within those restaurants, there’s always people that are there to hear our message that we can help connect with and then we can help reinforce these habits,” Gore said.

Al Pastor Kept at Room Temperature Overnight

Multiple news articles and a strong social media following surrounded Tacos El Cabezon at Shaw and Maroa avenues, popular for its al pastor and adobada cooked right in public view.

But inspections photos showed that same trompo of al pastor stored in a closet overnight with a fan blowing on it to keep it cool. Inspectors noted salsas and veggies stored overnight outside of refrigerators. Gore also said the restaurant wasn’t equipped to cook the al pastor outdoors that made them so popular. Gore called the findings “alarming.”

“There was a lot of education that was done that night, and that continues to be done to let that operator know and other operators as well how to be in compliance and how not to be in compliance,” Gore said.

Restaurant owner Armando Arias told GV Wire that after receiving the inspection report they began working to correct the issues. He said the county cleared them and they’re fully permitted, compliant, and operating normally.

They’ve stopped cooking outdoors, but they are working toward getting outfitted and permitted to do so.

“The county inspection identified a few items that needed correction, and we addressed every one of them immediately. The county cleared us, and we’re fully permitted, compliant, and operating normally. We take food safety seriously, and whenever something is flagged, we fix it right away,” Arias said. “That’s why our customers continue to support us every day.”

County Hired Seven More Staff After Grand Jury Report

County inspectors have more than 20,000 inspections each year. Bars and grocery stores get about two inspections each year while restaurants get four. Public complaints result in more inspections.

That breaks down to approximately four to five inspections a day, Gore said.

“Which doesn’t sound too bad, but that’s basically all day, every day. And then once you get to the bottom of your inventory, once you get to the bottom of your list, guess what? It starts back over again,” Gore said.

The Grand Jury report in 2024 said the 22 inspection team members that cover the 11,000 restaurants in Fresno County could not possibly inspect all restaurants in that time.

Gore said since the report came out they have hired seven new staff with a goal to hire several more.

“Some have gotten trained and are out there on their own, some are still going through the training process,” Gore said.

California laws have shifted focus toward “risk-based” inspections — looking less at structural issues such as broken tiles and more at operational issues such as food handling, Gore said.

“What it means is we focus more time educating somebody about hand washing instead of coming down on somebody for a cracked tile in the corner in the back of a storeroom,” Gore said.

Education Key for Restaurant Health and Safety: Gore

While the closure rate for restaurants is low, it does happen, Gore said. Most of the time the county orders a restaurant closed it’s for functional issues, such as not having any hot water.

Other times, however, it can be a public health risk. Oftentimes, restaurant owners know of the problems.

Gore remembered one restaurant where the cockroach problem was so severe he had to order it closed. So for several days, the restaurant got deep cleaned and later sprayed. After reopening, the owner thanked him for the closure order. They knew the problem was bad ,but bills and employee needs kept them from closing on their own.

The owner’s thanks surprised Gore.

“I cost you probably four days of business which could be thousands of dollars, and they’re like — ‘thank you, Matt, thank you,’ I appreciate it,” he said.

There are some restaurants that stand out for how clean they are.

He once remarked to a donut shop owner how clean the fryers were. Six months later, he revisited the place for another inspection and he again remarked how clean it was.

“She goes, ‘Last time you were here you told me this was the cleanest donut fryer in Fresno and I wanted to make sure I maintained that,'” Gore said.

The goal for inspectors is to work with businesses, he said. They don’t expect restaurant owners to know the health code front and back, and so their primary mission is to educate.

Many who get into the restaurant business without experience think they can cook the same way they do at home. They don’t know how to properly wash their hands or that they can’t eat while working on the line.

“Things that you can you can do at home or get away with at home may may not be allowable or may not be acceptable in a restaurant,” Gore said. “And so that’s that’s that’s a little bit of a challenge, too.”