K-Bob's restaurant re-opens after being closed two days following a health inspection

QCS Senior Writer

K-Bob’s restaurant in Tucumcari reopened on Monday after closing voluntarily for a second time in four months to address code violations cited by a health inspector.

The restaurant was closed Friday through Monday while crews addressed violations of “improper holding and storage.”

The New Mexico Department of Health received anonymous complaints about the conditions at the restaurant, said Allison Majure, NMED spokesperson.

Majure said the complaints included several leaks in the roof, air conditioning units not being used, the salad bar being warm, along with cold-storage issues. She said a health inspector, John Rhoderick, was sent to the restaurant to conduct an inspection.

Megan Hatterman, the restaurant manager, said the restaurant closed down to make repairs caused by a leaking air-conditioning unit in order to protect customer health.

“Our top priority is protecting our customers’ health and safety,” Hatterman said, so the restaurant shut down for repairs.

The leak on the roof was caused by condensation from a hose on the AC unit that is supposed to divert moisture away from the unit, said Adam Snead, vice president of operations.

Snead said the hose failed to divert the water away from the unit and it began dripping onto the roof, leaking into the dinning room. He said corporate elected to close on Father’s Day weekend.

“This was a difficult business decision, though our main priority is the safety of the customers,” Snead said.

Snead said the health department conducted a follow-up inspection and found that all the issues had been corrected. He said in the future K-Bob’s will work with the health department to ensure the safety of the customers.

Majure said during the inspection, Rhoderick noted several coolers were not at proper temperatures and there were several roof leaks including between the bar and prep area as well as the dining area. She said the employees also had to walk through wet floors to get to the kitchen.

Majure said the restaurant closed voluntarily to correct these issues, though the restaurant was not required to dispose of the food that was above 41 degrees.

K-Bob’s in Tucumcari also voluntarily shut down for two days in March after another health inspection found code violations that included cold-storage issues.

All of the violations were corrected before the restaurant reopened, records show.