The South Bay dining scene is experiencing a whirlwind of public health concerns after a Pho Love employee's mishandling of meat went viral, resulting in the temporary closure of the Milpitas restaurant. As first reported by NBC Bay Area, a video taken from a rooftop captured the employee throwing frozen ribs onto the ground, actions that landed the eatery in hot water with county officials; Santa Clara County Environmental Health wasted no time, shuttering the establishment yesterday following an extensive investigation.
Upon assessing the situation, the county found alarming violations beyond the rib-tossing fiasco, including a cockroach infestation and insufficient procedures for sanitizing utensils and equipment, as KRON4 reported. Pho Love faced citations for not only those health code breaches but also a demonstrated lack of knowledge in their food safety relating to the handling of said frozen ribs. According to NBC Bay Area, Dr. Marilyn C. Underwood of the Environmental Health Department articulated, "Pho Love has been closed until the operator can correct the major violations and demonstrate acceptable food handling practices."
As details emerged, Pho Love attempted damage control by deactivating its Instagram account and pushing a narrative that the incident was an isolated incident carried out "contrary to our company's standards and without our knowledge or instruction," a message that has since been scrubbed from the internet. Furthermore, the restaurant owner, a military veteran, has expressed intentions to rebuild the tarnished reputation, asserting responsibility for the incident that unfolded and pledging to regain customer trust following the reinspection. It's notable that despite the chaotic situation, Pho Love had a fairly commendable track record, having passed its last three public health inspections with high scores, according to KRON4.
