Tienda Latina Tres Pinos

5912 Georgia Ave. NW

Closed:Jan. 10

Reopened:Jan. 11

History: Tienda Latina Tres Pinos was previously cited for no hot water on June 21, 2006.

Health Department Says: Operating a food establishment with ?no hot water

Business Says:Who needs hot water? “I never used the water,” explains Carlos Flores, 52, the bodega’s manager, because Tres Pinos only sells pre-packaged groceries—canned goods, bags of chips, jugs of juice. All the same, there is a sink located in the back of his store. Above the sink, there are multiple signs demanding employees wash their hands. Flores says that the main problem isn’t just a bad boiler but a landlord who refuses to fix things adequately and promptly. He shows off the back wall: a huge gaping hole nailed over with thin pieces of mismatched wood. The ceiling, too, is pocked with brown watermarks. “The landlord don’t care about anything,” he explains. “When I say something, he says, ‘Let me check.’ That’s it.”