Tue. Oct 8th, 2024

Little Sparrow

When the owners of Downtown Santa Ana’s “The Little Sparrow” were begging the Santa Ana Planning Commission for a full alcohol license and extended hours of service they claimed to be very experience in operating restaurants, although that did not appear to the case.

Perhaps that suspected inexperience has caught up to them now as they have announced via a sign on their door that as of March 4, 2014 they are no longer serving breakfast and lunch, although they will continue to serve brunch on Sundays and will have dinner service from Tuesday – Saturday, from 5 pm to 12 midnight.

One of our readers also noted that the sign on their door directs their clients to local eateries – except they did not list any of the Latino-owned restaurants in DTSA.

This move comes on the heels of the closure of the Memphis at the Santora and The Crosby.  Those closures came not long after a 29-year old Chapman graduate named Kim Pham was literally kicked to death by three Latina patrons of The Crosby.

Is the current focus on evening drinking and debauchery in DTSA killing their daytime traffic?  Santa Ana residents are starting to complain about the proliferation of alcohol permits in DTSA.  Honestly what reason to most of our local residents have to visit DTSA at this point?  The entire thrust of DTSA is now to appeal to yuppies and hipsters who don’t live here.

To make matters worse for the Little Sparrow, they finally caught the attention of the Orange County Health Care Agency.  They received a Major Health Violation on 2/5/14 for a “Cockroach Infestation/Activity in Critical Area.” Major Violations pose the highest risk of causing food poisoning (or foodborne illness.

Here is the Little Sparrow’s entire record of OC Health Care Agency Inspections and Violations:

FOLLOW-UP INSPECTION   Inspection report detail 02/13/2014
Unsanitary Equipment/Utensil/Linen/Plumbing
Failure to Comply w/HACCP or TPHC plan not on-site
ROUTINE INSPECTION   Inspection report detail 02/05/2014
Cockroach Infestation/Activity in Critical Area
Failure to Comply w/HACCP or TPHC plan not on-site
Lack of/ImproperJanitorial Facilities or Liq Waste
Improper Holding Temperatures of PHF
Lack of/Unsanitary/Condition Walls/Floors/Ceilings
Unsanitary Equipment/Utensil/Linen/Plumbing
REINSPECTION SCHEDULED
FOLLOW-UP INSPECTION   Inspection report detail 09/17/2013
Unsanitary Equipment/Utensil/Linen/Plumbing
Failure to Comply w/HACCP or TPHC plan not on-site
ROUTINE INSPECTION   Inspection report detail 09/10/2013
Failure to Comply w/HACCP or TPHC plan not on-site
Lack of/Unsanitary/Condition Walls/Floors/Ceilings
Unsanitary Equipment/Utensil/Linen/Plumbing
Inappropriate Sanitizer Level/ Lack of Test Strips
Improper Food Storage/Receiving
Improper Holding Temperatures of PHF
Lack of Food Protection Manager Certificate
REINSPECTION SCHEDULED
ROUTINE INSPECTION   Inspection report detail 05/13/2013
Lack of/Improper Handwashing/Handwashing Sup.
Inappropriate Sanitizer Level/ Lack of Test Strips
Improper Holding Temperatures of PHF
Uncleanliness of Premises/Trash Storage
Improper Food Storage/Receiving
Unsanitary Equipment/Utensil/Linen/Plumbing
Lack of/Unsanitary/Condition Walls/Floors/Ceilings
CHANGE OF OWNERSHIP   Inspection report detail 05/02/2013



author avatar
Art Pedroza Editor
Our Editor, Art Pedroza, worked at the O.C. Register and the OC Weekly and studied journalism at CSUF and UCI. He has lived in Santa Ana for over 30 years and has served on several city and county commissions. When he is not writing or editing Pedroza specializes in risk control and occupational safety. He also teaches part time at Cerritos College and CSUF. Pedroza has an MBA from Keller University.

By Art Pedroza

Our Editor, Art Pedroza, worked at the O.C. Register and the OC Weekly and studied journalism at CSUF and UCI. He has lived in Santa Ana for over 30 years and has served on several city and county commissions. When he is not writing or editing Pedroza specializes in risk control and occupational safety. He also teaches part time at Cerritos College and CSUF. Pedroza has an MBA from Keller University.

8 thoughts on “The Little Sparrow cuts back on hours and deals with health violations”
    1. ? So we made up that sign in their window? And we made up those health violations?

      Remember when I predicted this was going to happen?

  1. It is not about the Cucarachas Editor!
    You can be a cucaracha yourself from time to time!
    It is about the fact the fact that the Downtown economic plan is completely failing! do to the lack of balance of political representation, the dispersion of manipulated capital and marketing towards the reactionary anti-immigrant race culture.
    That sign on the restaurant wall made it very clear, if all they had for their suggestions were other “white” owned establishments then they deserve the fate that they get, They dig their own grave.
    As do we all.
    Own up to it!

      1. I found it to be overpriced, underwhelming (food sucked, service suckier) and amateurish in it’s presentation.

        They should consider revamping.

  2. Saw this on YELP, Couldn’t be more accuate:

    Now we have this inside joke…
    friend: “I know why it’s called the little
    sparrow….”
    Me: “why?”
    Friend: “because when you eat here, a little sparrow comes and steals the money out of your wallet”

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