As Charlotte’s restaurant selection continues to grow, many establishments are scrambling to attract customers and really letting their health standards slide in the process.
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).
These were the top 10 worst inspection scores in Charlotte for August 2023;
#10 Dilworth Neighborhood Grill
2320 N DAVIDSON ST, CHARLOTTE, NC 28205
Scored 90.5 (B) on 8/7/2023
They had the following violations;
- Observed employee crack raw shell eggs and not wash hands before moving to RTE foods.
- Observed employee remove AirPods from ears and then begin to prep tuna without a hand wash.
- Observed no hand wash sign at hand sink near the right entry to the kitchen.
- Observed raw chicken stored over RTE chicken and cut cabbage in WIC.
- Observed RTE crab cakes that were visibly contaminated by raw steak in grill drawer.
- Observed large containers of uncovered bacon crumbles, nuts, and fried wonton strips.
- Observed pretzels stacked in reachin unit directly on wire rack that is not properly cleaned or sanitized.
- Observed sanitizer at dishmachine and 3 comp sink at 0 ppm.
- Observed multiple TCS foods in WIC and on line that were in cold holding above 41F.
#9 Bulgogi Box
1750 CAMDEN RD, CHARLOTTE NC 28262
Scored 90.5 (A) on 8/1/2023
They had the following violations;
- Observed an employee’s open energy drink stored on shelf over prep unit.
- Observed employee wash hands, then use bare hand to turn off faucet. Hands were recontaminated. Always use a barrier when turning off faucet to prevent recontamination of hands.
- Observed tofu, rice, and grilled chicken in prep top above 41F.
- Observed a house vinaigrette (garlic in oil) from 7/18 and slaw containing this dressing date marked 7/30 and 8/1.
- Observed cooked greens from 7/23, cooked corn from 7/23, fried chicken from 7/23, pork rib from 7/25, garlic and oil heat-treated cucumbers from 7/20, and cooked mushrooms from 7/23.
- Observed fried tofu held on TPHC without time label.
- Observed residential pesticides in kitchen.
#8 Barcelona Wine Bar
101 W WORTHINGTON AV, CHARLOTTE NC 28203
Scored 89 (B) on 8/18/2023
They had the following violations;
- Observed lack of active managerial control based on barehand contact with RTE foods, when to wash violations, lack of date marking, and consistent cold holding violations throughout establishment.
- Observed open employee beverage containers stored on prep tables.
- Observed closed employee beverage stored over clean cutting boards in dish area.
- Observed employee scratch back, not wash hands, and begin to move containers of food. CDI-EHS stopped employee and employee properly was hands.
- Observed dishwasher load dirty dishes into dish machine and then begin to put clean dishes away without a proper hand wash. Dishwasher stated they spray their hands off with the pre-rinse.
- Observed employee making grilled cheese setups, touching RTE bread with bare hands.
- Observed no paper towels at two hand sinks in kitchen.
- Observed numerous TCS foods in WIC above 41F. PIC stated employees will leave WIC door ajar on days they prepare empanadas.
- Observed cheeses used for charcuterie boards left in display case that is not under temperature control. Cheeses had been recently pulled from a reachin cooler and ranged from 43F-49F.
- Observed empanadas, cut romaine, cooked egg plant sauce and a triple cream soft cheese without date marks.
#7 El Toro Bruto/ Resident Culture Brewing
332 W BLAND ST, CHARLOTTE NC 28203
Scored 88.5 (B) on 8/2/2023
They had the following violations;
- Observed raw beef stored over RTE produce in two separate areas of the WIC.
- Observed one large container of queso that did not cool from 135F to 70F in 2 hours.
- Observed queso at 132F at 10:00am at 72F at 12:08pm.
- Observed cooling baked potato at 110F at 11:09am and at 104F at 11:23am.
- Observed cheesy, bacon wrapped peppers in hot holding at 127-130F. EHS asked PIC what temperature the food was cooked to prior to being placed in hot holding.
- Observed an unsalted butter (TCS) that was blended with a garlic in oil mixture (TCS) held out at room temperature throughout the day.
- Observed salsa with no date mark prepared on 7/27, a pancake batter containing milk with no date mark from 7/29, opened sliced deli meat and milk with no date mark in low boy.
- Observed macha (garlic in oil) from 7/15 in WIC. Several foods containing this macha from 7/15 were date marked as 7/20, 7/27, and beyond.
- Observed roasted garlic mayo from 7/15 and 7/19 in prep unit and WIC.
- Observed cooked sweet potatoes from 7/25 in reachin.
- Observed pork belly that was cooked on 7/23.
- Observed improperly labeled spray bottle. Spray bottle was labeled as “surface cleaner and disinfectant,” but contained an unknown substance. This was determined based on the color of the substance. The spray bottle contained a yellow liquid, but the concentrated surface cleaner and disinfectant is blue.
- Observed unlabeled spray bottle containing a blue liquid near the coffee station.
#6 Jinya Ramen Bar Ally Center
601 S TRYON ST, CHARLOTTE NC 28202
Scored 87.5 (B) on 8/16/2023 (rescored to 94.5 on 8/24)
They had the following violations;
- Observed limited control over several kitchen practices as evidenced by improper handwashing, improper cooling and methods, and improper holding temperatures.
- Observed no food protection manager on site during inspection.
- Observed employee move from handling raw chicken to handling ready to eat food in the walk in and then on the line without washing hands.
- Observed employee doff glove after handling raw chicken and don new glove without handwash.
- Observed employee turn off faucet prior to drying hands.
- Observed no soap at handsink near stove.
- Observed raw chicken stored over raw pork in walk in.
- Observed raw chicken over lettuces in walk in cooler.
- Observed spicy tuna mixture and spicy tuna mayo stored over ready to eat items in the walk in cooler.
- Observed chicken soup cooling from this morning in deep, covered metal pans still above 41F after 6 hours.
- Observed steamed mushrooms cooling in ice water still above 70F after 2 hours.
- Observed pork broth that was bagged and stored in walk in cooler from yesterday above 41F.
#5 Eight and Sand Kitchen
900 NC MUSIC FACTORY BV, CHARLOTTE, NC 28203
Scored 86.5 (B) on 8/10/2023
They had the following violations;
- PIC could not provide proof of CFPM certification during the inspection.
- Observed signed employee health agreement with only 5 of the Big 6 Food-borne illnesses.
- Observed slicer, stored as clean, with food residue present.
- Observed pan of chicken placed in the WIC to cool, the previous night, at 43/44F.
- Observed cooked potatoes (53F), Sweet Potatoes (42F), Smoked Salmon (46F) stored above 41F.
- Observed incorrect date marking label on steamed potatoes (8/1).
- Observed multiple items with date marking labels with 8 day holding times.
- Observed Quinoa held longer than 7 days (8/1).
- Observed cut purple cabbage with no date marking.
- Observed one spray bottle containing sanitizer without label present during the inspection.
#4 Fonda Las Cazuelas
5130 N TRYON ST, CHARLOTTE NC 28213
Scored 86 (B) on 8/30/2023
They had the following violations;
- Employee observed washing hands in food prep sink.
- No soap at hand washing sink in men’s restroom.
- Establishment is not keeping oyster tags after using all the oysters in a batch.
- Raw chicken and raw beef stored on shelf above fries and other RTE foods in reach-in cooler.
- Most bus tubs, pans and containers that were stored as clean had visible food residue on them.
- 2 pans of refried beans and 1 pan of rice were 104-128F after reheating for 2 hours in oven. Rice was also reheating in rice warmer at 100F after 30 minutes.
- Red sauce measured 90-105F after cooling for 2 hours. Black beans were cooling in ice bath on prep table. Beans began cooling at 2:30PM and still measured 120F at 3:30PM.
- Pico, lettuce, tomatoes, pickled onions, queso fresco, shredded cheese, raw chicken, raw beef, and other TCS foods in sandwich cooler measured 47-63F.
- Salsas held on TPHC were still in use after 4.5 hours.
- No asterisk beside half shell oysters on menu.
#3 Harris Food Mart
8400 OLD STATESVILLE RD, CHARLOTTE NC 28269
Scored 86 (B) on 8/1/2023
They had the following violations;
- Observed employee health policy reference poster on wall but no exclusion agreement observed.
- Observed open can of coconut water in flip top unit commingled with food service ingredients.
- Observed food employee go from washing dishes to handling clean utensils and beginning to don gloves without a hand wash.
- Observed multiple containers, pans, and utensils with food debris and residue stored as clean.
- Observed raw shell eggs sitting beside grill at ambient temperature.
- Observed quaternary ammonia sanitizer solution in a spray bottle with concentration over 400ppm.
- Observed bottle of degreaser without a label.
#2 Halal Mobile Kitchen
5427 N SHARON AMITY RD, CHARLOTTE NC 28215
Scored 85 (B) on 8/2/2023 (rescored to 95.5 on 8/29)
They had the following violations;
- Observed paper towels not available at Prep Station.
- Observed large oil container stored in basin of handsink for Halal WI cooler handsink.
- Observed raw lamb gyro stored under raw turkey and raw beef stored above RTE spicy mayo and other RTE foods in WI cage.
- Observed several clients using a two-step method of cleaning dishes. Rinsing and washing only.
- Observed containers of cooked pork and cooked chicken hot holding at 129F. Hot box set to 133F.
- Observed sanitizer stored on top of cage for one vendor, above WRS dishes.
#1 Deejai Noodle Bar
3629 N DAVIDSON ST, CHARLOTTE NC 28205
Scored 82.5 (B) on 8/18/2023 (rescored to 94.5 on 8/30)
They had the following violations;
- Observed PIC unaware of hot holding temperatures, training for food employees, Employee Health requirement for training, restriction and exclusion, cooling, cooling methods and cold holding temperatures.
- Observed food employee with recent, exposed stitches on arm working with exposed food.
- Observed containers of cleaners and other facility items stored in handsink.
- Observed no paper towels at handsink near rear rice warmer.
- Observed eaw pork over RTE sauce in prep cooler at cook line.
- Observed buildup in plates and sauce bowls in sushi station and strainers and other clean items stored in dish pit.
- Observed cooked yellow curry and green curry containers in walk in cooler still above 41F after more than 6 hours.
- Observed cooked chicken, raw beef, raw chicken and other TCS foods declared cold holding in cook line by PIC above 41F.
- Observed date marked TCS foods in walk in cooler, but missing date marking on smaller containers of TCS foods in flip top at cook line from previous days.
- Observed medicine and medical alcohol stored above prep table, prep unit and other food prep areas.
If you’d like to monitor health scores or do a quick search for a restaurant you’re about to eat at, check out North Carolina’s health inspection database here.