Even though Charlotte’s restaurant selection continues to grow, so does our population, and some restaurants are taking advantage of this growing customer base by letting their health standards slide.
Some of the most common reasons for low scores were food handlers not washing their hands properly, contaminated food containers, and improper food temperatures (many restaurants are starting to use infrared thermometers to avoid this). You can see exactly what the inspectors look for on this blank copy of an inspection report.
These are the top 10 worst currently standing inspection scores in Mecklenburg County (some restaurants scored lower in December but were reinspected with higher scores before January 6th):
#10 Muscles Sports Bar & Grill
2228 Beatties Ford Rd., Charlotte, NC
Scored 90 (A) on 12/20/2017
They had the following critical violations;
- Observed raw eggs stored above cheese & condiments in bev. refrige.
- Observed raw pork chops w/ smoked sausage (r.t.e.) & raw shrimp & chops above hot dogs & bologna.
- Observed no date labeling & items stored longer than 4 & 7 days, respectively.
#9 Duckworth’s Grill
4435 Park Rd., Charlotte, NC
Scored 90 (A) on 12/11/2017
They had the following critical violations;
- Observed employee drink stored on prep top surface.
- Observed ice bucket stored in handsink in back of facility and active food prep happening in the handsink at the bar.
- Observed extensive sticker residue on containers throughout facility.
- Observed open package of commercially packaged ham with no date label and potatoes cooled from the previous night with no date label.
#8 Charlotte Cafe
4127 Park Rd., Charlotte, NC
Scored 90 (A) on 12/7/2017
They had the following critical violations;
- Observed soiled dishes stacked in the handsink adjacent to the three comp sink.
- Observed container stored as clean with visible debris build up.
- Observed rice in hot hold measuring at 97F.
- Observed chicken soup and lettuce in walk in cooler with no date marking label.
#7 Bangkok Ocha
7629 Pineville Matthews Rd., Charlotte, NC
Scored 90 (A) on 12/7/2017
They had the following critical violations;
- Observed employee water being stored on shelving over food preparation area and flip top unit.
- Observed employee cracking eggs wearing gloves then proceed with food preparation touching ready to eat foods such as peppers, bean sprouts etc.
- Observed food employee cutting mushrooms and touching bare handed. Product was going to be cut and stored for use during lunch service.
- Observed eggs and bean sprouts kept on time not marked with begin/end time.
#6 Mr. Tokyo Japanese Restaurant
8334 Pineville Matthews Rd., Charlotte, NC
Scored 87.50 (B) on 12/20/2017
They had the following critical violations;
- Observed open employee beverage stored on prep table.
- Observed employee touch face but not wash hands.
- Observed an employee touch garbage can but not wash hands.
- Observed single-service container stored in handwashing sink.
- Observed no disposable towels provided at hand washing sink.
- Observed raw box of poultry stored in contact of container of raw beef.
- Observed raw fish stored above ready to eat crab meat and sauces at sushi area.
- Observed raw chicken and beef stored in flip top prep unit over vegetable and ready to eat foods in kitchen.
- Observed several lids stored as clean but soiled with food debris.
- Observed rice leftover from night before and incorrect label.
#5 Irie Vibes Restaurant
2729 N. Tryon St., Charlotte, NC
Scored 86.5 (B) on 12/14/2017
They had the following critical violations;
- Observed food 2 employees re-contaminate hands by closing faucet without using a barrier.
- Observed no soap at any hand sink in kitchen, nor in bathrooms.
- Observed cooled mac & cheese, rise and chicken at 45F or below not covered in walk in cooler.
- Observed shelves above items collecting debris.
- Observed food intended for donation stored above establishment food.
- Observed rise stored on prep table cooling, rice was prepared a few minutes before 12pm. Rise was stored on prep table. Rice temped at 110F at 2:30 pm.
- Observed all food in facility not dated.
- Observed sanitizer bottle, and windex stored above food, and utensils.
#4 Ivey’s Hotel Lounge
127 N. Tryon St., Charlotte, NC
Scored 86 (B) on 12/21/2017
They had the following critical violations;
- Observed no certified food protection manager onsite.
- Observed no papertowels present at bar hand sink (repeat violation).
- Observed no parasite destruction letter onsite for raw smoked salmon.
- Observed plate of raw salmon being stored on the top shelf on top of other ready-to-eat foods.
- Observed cleaning needed in the kitchen and bar ice machine.
- Observed melons, soy milk, milk, half and half, and boiled eggs holding above 45F on buffet.
- Observed milk, brie cheese, half and half, and soy milk without date labels.
- Observed facility using TPHC without written procedures (repeat violation).
- Observed no consumer advisory for raw salmon on buffet (repeat vilation).
#3 Levant Meditteranean Cuisine
501 S. Church St., Charlotte, NC
Scored 84 (B) on 12/29/2017
They had the following critical violations;
- Upon arrival, observed employee eating while sitting on a stool with food on the cutting board of the prep unit.
- Observed employee don gloves with no handwash.
- Observed employee finish handling raw beef kabobs, and then rinse hands in 3-comp sink (without washing).
- Observed employee make beef kabobs and mix them with beef kabobs that were already in the container. Container was not washed, rinsed, and sanitized before being used for a new batch of food.
- Observed many dishes remaining greasy, and stored as clean.
- Observed can opener blade with heavy build up.
- Observed heavy amount of food debris on vegetable dicers/cutters, stored as clean.
- Observed pink build up on ice machine shield.
- Observed employee wash dishes and not sanitize before allowing to air dry.
- Observed blanched fries and blanched cubed potatoes stored in bowls on counter. Items were below 135F.
- Observed items in prep cooler, that employee stated were from yesterday, with no date mark.
- Observed some items in walk in with no date mark.
- Observed bottle with teal liquid in it and no label.
- Observed canister of scrubbing bubbles stored over top of sugar, and grains.
#2 Supermercado El Mariachi
6301 N. Tryon St., Charlotte, NC
Scored 83.5 (B) on 12/12/2017
They had the following critical violations;
- Observed open employee bottle drink stored in meat market display case touching onions.
- Observed stack of boxes of raw chicken leaning over rack with RTE salsas.
- Observed several buckets of raw meats in meat walk in cooler and freezer and pan of tamales in walk in freezer stored un-covered not protected.
- Observed very large pot of carnitas at 80 degrees in meat market with no temperature control. Meat market worker said it was partially reheated 4 hrs ago and left out at room temperature to be reheated further.
- Observed a number of foods prepared or opened yesterday not date marked including: deli ham, several salsas, tamales, fried egg, soups, and beans.
- Observed spray bottle of chlorine sanitizer too strong, reading above 200 ppm bleaching test strip.
#1 Newks Eatery
101 N. Tryon St., Charlotte, NC
Scored 83 (B) on 12/8/2017
They had the following critical violations;
- Observed several employees wash hands and recontaminate hands by turning off faucet with bare hands.
- Observed container stored in handsink for dish area.
- Observed no papertowels at kitchen handsink.
- Observed employee wash dish, remove clean dish from dish machine, and then place dirty dish in dish machine with no handwash and glove change between dirty and clean dishes.
- Observed dish machine pulling at 0ppm sanitizer.
- Observed heavy pink and black residue in ice machine.
- Observed soups reheating in steam table. Soups were placed in warmers at 8am. At 9:15am, soups were below 70F.
- Observed seared tuna cooling a rate of 0F/min in walk in.
- Observed that items on round table bar say “refrigerate after opening” on containers.
- Observed items marked with a 7 day shelf life to actually be held for 8 days according to prep and print label.
As of January 6th, the above scores have not changed, but they can be increased (or decreased) at any time, as soon as they have a re-inspection.
If you’d like to monitor heath scores, or do a quick search for a restaurant you’re about to eat at, check out North Carolina’s health inspection database here.