The five-second rule apparently is in effect at Flaming Kabob, which tied for top dishonors on this week’s list of worst East Valley restaurant health inspections.

The restaurant, 2252 E. Baseline Road, Mesa, was flagged for seven major violations, including this doozy: “Staff noted dropping bread, picking up bread from floor with bare hand (and) proceeding to assemble sandwiches.”

If they do this in front of a county inspector, it makes me wonder what happens when an inspector isn’t watching.

Other violations included not washing those sandwich-making bare hands, “heavy organic buildup” on soda fountain and a soiled lid on ice machine. Oh, yeah — and a live cockroach found in the food-prep area.

No better was Four Seasons Sushi, 1652 N. Higley Road, Gilbert, whose seven major violations included the staff making sushi rolls with bare hands and improperly stored raw fish dripping on salad ingredients. Oh, yeah — and a live cockroach found in the food-prep area.

Other top offenders this week are Abuelita’s Kitchen and Club Cabo in Mesa and China Garden in Gilbert (five violations each).

For more details on these restaurants’ inspections, or to check any other restaurant, go to maricopa.gov and click on “Restaurant Ratings.”