Shop Where Ariana Grande Was Seen Licking Doughnuts Has A Week To Correct Violations
LAKE ELSINORE (CBSLA.com) — A doughnut shop that came under scrutiny after video of pop star Ariana Grande licking the merchandise surfaced has a week to address violations that dropped its "A" grade to a "B."
According to the Department of Environmental Health, Grande's easy access to a tray of doughnuts that were left on a counter at Wolfee Donuts, 29997 Canyon Hills Road, at about 11:30 p.m. Saturday prompted a health inspection Wednesday.
"The inspection revealed various violations that resulted in the facility receiving a score of 86," agency spokesman Keith Jones said.
Jones said the store's owners will have a week to make the corrections, after which another inspection will take place.
California health laws require restaurants to protect all food from contact with the public. Shop owner Ricky Marin said the doughnuts sold out that night, so it's possible someone ate those licked by Grande and her friend.
The inspection report noted that "video associated with the complaint shows trays of donuts placed on top of the display case where customers had access."
"Discontinue any sales of contaminated food product," the report concluded. "Video footage shows customers licking donuts incorrectly placed on counter. Manager said that employee working at time of incident was not aware that donuts had been contaminated and placed them back in display case for sale.
"(Owner must) ensure that all employees are trained to place trays of donuts on rolling racks behind counter and never in an area where customer contamination can occur."
The shop was also downgraded for failure to clean shelves, repair a broken floor and door and implement appropriate "utensil washing" procedures.
A store employee was swapping out older doughnuts with fresh ones when she placed them on the shelf, according to Joe Marin. Grande asked the employee to retrieve fresh doughnuts from the back of the bakery, so the employee left the tray of powered doughnuts on the display unattended, according to published reports.
It was then that Grande and her friend licked the tray during a game of "Truth or Dare," Marin said.
Marin had taken the video to the Riverside County Sheriff's Department and filed a report, saying the doughnuts were deliberately tampered with.
On the video of the doughnut-licking, which occurred on the Fourth of July, Grande is also heard saying she hates America and Americans. She took to Twitter on Wednesday to apologize, insisting her comments were said "in a private moment" and "taken out of context."
"I am EXTREMELY proud to be an American and I've always made it clear that I love my country," she wrote. "... As an advocate for healthy eating, food is very important to me and I sometimes get upset by how freely we as Americans eat and consume things without giving any thought to the consequences that it has on our health and society as a whole.
"... However I should have known better in how I expressed myself; and with my new responsibility to others as a public figure I will strive to be better," she wrote.
