County: Red Baron Pizza Hesperia's cleanest restaurant

Call it Extreme Makeover: Restaurant Edition.

Last year at this time, Red Baron's Pizza was one of the lowest-rated restaurants in Hesperia according to information compiled from the San Bernardino County Department of Public Health's Web site. This year, it received a perfect score, the only restaurant in the city to do so.

Since 2005, the county's Division of Environmental Health has been grading food establishments with a letter rating system. In addition to rated businesses displaying their grades publicly, as required, the Division of Environmental Health has all ratings available on its Web site for public viewing.

Red Baron's was one of six businesses to receive a perfect score from the department, but was the only business to serve food as its primary mission. The other perfect scores went to Albertson's, Big Lots, K-Mart, Nutricion Infantil and Walgreens at 15480 Main Street.

Eight businesses got a 99 score, including the 99 Cents Only store, Ararat Market, Baker's Burgers on Bear Valley Road, Domino's Pizza, Main Street 76, New Life Chapel, Skillet Too and the Stater Brothers Market at 14466 Main Street.

In all, 175 businesses received an A rating, or 90 percent of the city's 194 establishments that serve food.

This year, one restaurant -- Soya Japanese Restaurant -- received a score of 73 and a C rating. Eighteen restaurants received a B rating.

The lowest-rated B restaurants (at the time of this story was posted) were Marya's Mexican Food, Taco Bell at 14071 Main Street, Cancun Mexican and Seafood Restaurant, Golden Garden Chinese, Hole in One Donuts on 15776 Main Street, Ko's Pizza and Thai-Lotus Restaurant. Five more businesses tied at an 84 score.

For more information and details, visit the San Bernardino County Department of Public Health's Web site at http://www.co.san-bernardino.ca.us/dehs/

Beau Yarbrough can be reached at 956-7108 or at beau@hesperiastar.com.