\u201cThe only time they know we\u2019re coming back is, of course, if they fail,\u201d she said. \u201cWe don\u2019t tell them what day we are coming back, but they know in general it’s going to be within two to four weeks.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1786618915_259_.jpeg\"\/)
<\/p>\n
Lorianne Willett<\/p>\n
\/<\/p>\n
KUT News<\/p>\n
Health inspector Alicia Wilcox looks under sinks during her mock inspection of Amaya\u2019s Taco Village, located just off the North Interstate 35 frontage road near East Koenig Lane.<\/p>\n
As she walked in the door, one of the owners, Richard Amaya, greeted her. Together, they headed into the kitchen to start the mock inspection.<\/p>\n
Inspectors switch areas every two years. Before the schedule shift, Wilcox was the inspector for restaurants like Amaya\u2019s Taco Village, Bartlett’s, Titaya’s Thai Cuisine and Enchiladas Y Mas. She\u2019s since moved on to a new role where she focuses on struggling food establishments with low scores that would like to improve.<\/p>\n
Wilcox said that over the two years she served as the inspector for Amaya\u2019s Taco Village, she built a rapport with the owners. She said building a connection is one of her favorite parts of the job.<\/p>\n
\u201cSometimes if they don’t understand, and they feel like you’re just there, like ‘I gotcha,’ and just mark everything and not really take the time to explain to them and educate, they may not understand why this even matters,” Wilcox said. “To them, it may just be like, \u2018They’re marking me again.\u2019 But if you explain why it’s a risk, they are more likely to fix the items.\u201d<\/p>\n
It\u2019s lunch rush, and the workers at Amaya\u2019s Taco Village are on full throttle.<\/p>\n
Wilcox passes through the kitchen, checking the temperatures of the ingredients, like refried beans, and asks when the tomatoes were diced. As she makes her way around, workers tiptoe around grilling food, serving plates and carrying containers.<\/p>\n
While inspecting cleaning supplies, Wilcox found unlabeled bottles, which she then handed to Amaya to mark up. Small things like that can be fixed immediately, she said.<\/p>\n
How are restaurants scored?<\/p>\n
As she continues walking, Wilcox has a checklist she works off of that covers things like clean cooking surfaces, food separation, proper food labeling, updated permits and dishwashers. The system works out of 100, and a score below 69 is considered failing. A 70 or above is a passing score.<\/p>\n
Every mistake leads to a lower score.<\/p>\n
If a restaurant fails an inspection, they have to pay a $134 fee, and the inspector comes back, usually within a 10-day window, according to Wilcox. The restaurant is then placed on a compliance list for the next three years.<\/p>\n
If the restaurant fails again within the three years, a criminal complaint is filed in court, according to Austin Public Health. The restaurant would also have to pay the fee again and be reinspected. If a restaurant fails a third time, it is closed and its owner has to meet with a program manager at Austin Public Health to create an action plan.<\/p>\n
The inspector can also close a restaurant immediately.<\/p>\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1786618917_185_.jpeg\"\/)
<\/p>\n
Lorianne Willett<\/p>\n
\/<\/p>\n
KUT News<\/p>\n
One of health inspector Alicia Wilcox’s duties is checking the temperature of food.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf there’s a roach, we’re not gonna close an establishment,\u201d Wilcox said. \u201cFor us to close for an infestation would mean that the food is directly impacted that a customer would be served. If there’s rat infestations, sometimes we’ll see signs of the food being chewed through in the dry store.\u201d<\/p>\n
Pest control would then be called to control the situation, Wilcox said. Restaurants can also be closed for sewage backups.<\/p>\n
In her five years on the job, Wilcox said she\u2019s closed about 10 to 15 restaurants.<\/p>\n
Customers can sometimes be completely unaware of violations going on in the kitchen, Wilcox said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt can be a lot of temperature violations, or they’re not cooking the food to the proper temperatures,\u201d she said. \u201cIf there’s an infestation of some sort, generally, the customers alert us that they’re seeing signs of pests. So there are times that they’ll know, but not always.\u201d<\/p>\n