Charlotte’s historic Coliseum Center is about to be redeveloped into a massive new $35 million retail center called ‘Coliseum Crossing’. We just found out that it will be anchored by Sonic Automotive’s new flagship ‘Echopark’ dealership brand.
In Sonic’s last quarterly earnings report, Sonic said it plans to open over a dozen new dealerships in North Carolina, Florida, Georgia, and Texas and the Carolinas over the next year.
Jeff Dyke, Sonic’s EVP of Operations, stated, “Given our performance at EchoPark, we are accelerating our expansion into the Carolinas, Florida, Georgia and Texas markets. Our Colorado stores were cash flow positive in the quarter. Currently, we have more than 15 locations in the aforementioned markets that will break ground in 2017 and 2018.”
Sonic will also be opening Echopark dealerships in Huntersville and Gastonia.
According to recent building permits filed with the city, Sonic’s new Echopark location in the Coliseum Crossing development will take up a total of 10 acres, and will feature a massive pre-owned car lot, offices, interior showroom, repair facility, and state-of-the-art customer service center.
The remaining 8 acres of Coliseum Crossing will be developed into over 59,000 square feet of retail space and would connect to the neighboring Walmart.
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:
Observed employees using bare hands to turn off faucet at handsink.
Observed straws in back handsink near warewashing area, indicating that the sink was being used for dumping in addition to handwashing.
Observed shellstock tags not in chronological order with several tags missing the date the container was depleted.
Observed employees changing tasks from working on cook line to retrieving food from walk in (touching the handles of equipment) and then returning to working with ready to eat food on the cook line without changing gloves or washing hands.
Observed crab butter hot holding at 125F in wells.
Observed shredhead potato mix (cheese, bacon, etc) holting at 49F in reach in.
Observed two pans of hot dogs, a container of pimento cheese, a container of chicken salad, and half and half cream throughout facility with no marking system to indicate prep or opening date.
Observed employee drink stored on the prep counter.
Observed a knife and a rag stored in the hand washing sink.
Observed no paper towels at the front hand washing sink.
Observed missing expiration tag on container of mussels.
Observed several pans with food buildup on the inside, and several pans still containing stickers. Observed the slicer still containing food buildup after employee finished cleaning the unit.
Observed no label on the front end hand soap bottles.
Observed employee in main kitchen area washing her hands for less than 15 seconds.
Observed employee at prep area changing outer gloves without a handwash.
Observed employee in prep area wearing single use plastic gloves over a cut resistant glove on one hand and only changing the outer gloves when changing tasks. Inner glove was not changed nor was it fully covered by the single use glove, and hands were not washed between tasks.
Observed multiple pans in warewashing room stored as clean with sticker residue left on them after warewashing. Observed clean sheet pans being stored on a soiled cart.
Observed potatoes and breakfast burrito hot holding below 135F on breakfast bar. Items were held on TPHC with no written procedure in place.
Observed ranch dressing sitting on counter top at 71F. Observed salted butter and cream cheese cold holding above 45F at breakfast bar. PIC stated first that items are cold held, then that they are on TPHC. Facility has no procedure for TPHC.
Observed that facility has no written procedure for their TPHC process. Items are being labelled with start and end times but no SOP is in place for process.
Observed cheddar grits still on line at 10:47 with a discard time of 10:30.
Observed no one present with foodservice certification.
Observed employee with uncovered coffee, drinking from cup and handling cup with fingers inside and outside of cup.
Observed employee go from working on computer in dining room to picking up patron plate, picking up eating utensils for patron, and take these items to patron without washing hands first, dip ice for drinks without washing hands.
Observed plates, scoops, grater, with food debris, grease, crumbs on them.
Observed coconut milk, tomato sauce, house made chicken salad, etc. with no dates on them.
Observe no certified food protection manager onsite for the first hour of inspection. Observed no managerial control and no PIC.
Observed diced peppers sitting on hand sink upon arrival. Observed large metal pan sitting on hand sink later on.
Observed dishes and cutting blades being stored as clean with residue and food debris left on them. Observed salad tongs with dried lettuce on them. Observed food containers being used to store food throughout coolers with build-up and food debris on them.
Observed several items prepared this morning that were cooling at a rate of zero and several that did not meet the 4 hour cooling parameter. These items included bean salad, chicken salad, lettuce, sliced tomatoes, pasta salad, roast beef, turkey, ham, chicken, salsa, and pico.
Observed pico and bowtie noodles from yesterday holding at 46F. Cooler was working properly but was overloaded due to other coolers being out of order. Observed items on line in one of the coolers to be on ice, still holding above 45F. Cooler is not functioning properly.
Observed mozzarella cheese opened yesterday without a date label. Observed muff mix in walk-in cooler dated 7/14-7/21.
When asked what the slicer is cleaned with, an employee stated they use Score before rinsing and sanitizing. Bottle of Score chemical is placed at the mop sink dispenser and has warning labels stating to call poison control if ingested. Facility used to use orange force which an approved food-grade cleaner.
Observed significant sticker residue on food contact surfaces and food contact surfaces not being cleaned properly. Observed not a clear date marking system in place, raw food being stored over ready to eat.
Observed food employee beverage being stored on cutting board where food preparation was occurring.
Observed food employee going from dirty to clean at ware washing while wearing gloves.
Observed raw chicken being stored over ready to eat tomatoes, onions, and rice (3 separate containers in walk in cooler). Observed beef being stored on top of cilantro.
Observed food establishment covering food with towels.
Observed heavy debris in all 3 microwaves.
Observed fried onions at 79 degrees cooked on Saturday.
Observed the listed items not date marked: rice, goat, lentils, lamb, collard greens, chick peas, eggs X 2, cauliflower, rice, yogurt (adding tomatoes and PHF foods).
Observed insect bug killer being stored on dry storage rack with baking powder and corn starch.
A post shared by Nicole Renee (@brokebutcultured) on
1603 South Blvd., Charlotte, NC
Scored 83 (B) on 7/24/2017
They had the following critical violations;
Observed an employee handle soiled rags, don gloves, and attempt to prepare food.
Observed an employee wash his hands however when the employee was finished he used his bare hands to turn the faucet off.
Observed an employee place bucket lids in the handsink.
Observed black growth build up on the inside of the ice machine.
Observed RTE chicken (57F), egg roles (51F), and RTE pork (50F) in a low boy reach in cooler. EHS also observed RTE chicken (48F) and egg rolls (47F) in the walk in.
Observed pork dumplings, beef dumplings, fried tofu, RTE tofu, and noodles all without dates.
Observed one bottle of sanitizer not labeled.
As of August 1st, 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.
There will be 3 fewer places for tea time around the Charlotte region by Spring of 2018.
Starbucks has just announced plans to close all 379 Teavana stores across the country by early next year after another quarter of weaker than expected numbers.
Starbucks’ made the announcement last week during their third quarter 2017 financial report. They said that the Teavana stores continued to be a drag on the company after Starbucks bought Teavana for $620 million in 2012.
“Teavana retail stores have been persistently underperforming,” Starbucks’ press release stated. “Following a strategic review of the Teavana store business, the company concluded that despite efforts to reverse the trend through creative merchandising and new store designs, the underperformance was likely to continue.”
Starbucks says the 3,300 Teavana employees (an average of 8-9 employees per store) will be terminated.
A Gastonia man was just sentenced to 4 life sentences in federal prison for sex trafficking, child pornography, and child prostitution charges.
35-year-old Samuel “Promise” Pratt, and his mother, 53-year-old Daphne Pratt, both of Gastonia, NC, were sentenced this past week on a host of charges related to a sex trafficking operation that stretched from South Carolina to New York.
Samuel Pratt was found guilty on eight counts related to sex trafficking, child pornography, and firearm charges, and Daphne Pratt was found guilty of conspiracy to sex traffic minors after testifying against her son in exchange for a significantly reduced sentence.
Samuel Pratt full sentence includes four life terms for sex trafficking, 30 years for production of child pornography, 10 years for possessing child pornography, 10 years for being a felon in possession of a firearm, and five years for obstruction of justice. He was forced to pay his under-age victims over $40,000 in restitution.
During the trial, Daphne blamed herself for some of her son’s problems, telling the court that she would often leave him without a baby sitter on the Bronx streets while he was growing up.
Samuel Pratt’s attorney asked for a lighter sentence since he said his client grew up in an environment where “he saw hookers and pimps on his street the same way a member of the royal family would see maids and butlers in their home.”
“The first step … addressing the cancer of human trafficking is to hold the traffickers accountable and that is what this case and this sentence does,” the prosecutor said.
As more and more people flock to organic and chemical-free diets, many restaurants are discovering huge new opportunities.
One of those restaurants, a Boston-based chain called ‘B.Good’, will be opening their first Uptown Charlotte location later this week.
This past February, they also opened two other locations in South Charlotte, one in the Stonecrest shopping center at 7926 Rea Road, and a Ballantyne location at 14825 Ballantyne Village Way.
The new restaurant chain partners with local farmers and suppliers to ensure they always have the freshest and most organic food possible – their ultimate goal is to change how people think about fast food – they want to make it healthy.
Their menu’s most popular items include; house-ground burgers, kale and grain bowls, sweet potato fries, all-natural shakes, and seasonal salads.
B.Good’s first Uptown location is located at 400 S. Tryon, a 33-story office tower in the heart of our city.
It sits at the corner of Martin Luther King Boulevard and Church Street, facing Romare Bearden Park and next to the Rhino Market’s new location.
One of rap music’s most impactful labels in the history of the genre has just reunited for a national tour. To commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Ruff Ryders imprint, DMX, Swizz Beatz, Eve, Drag-On, and The Lox will be performing their past and current hits in select arenas across the country.
Earlier this year, the team held their first reunion concert at the Barclays Center in NYC – here’s a clip of DMX’s big reveal:
The entire group will be performing live at Charlotte’s PNC Music Pavilion on September 10th.
After Charlotte, they’ll be heading to Houston, Dallas, Baltimore, Oakland, and Las Vegas.
A new national museum is now being built in Concord to celebrate one of the most iconic American cars of all time. The National Mustang Museum has scheduled their grand opening celebration sometime in April of 2018.
The interactive museum is being built on Highway 29, adjacent to Concord’s Dennis Carpenter Ford Restoration Parts. The initial idea for the museum being located in Concord stems from the organizers of the 50th Anniversary of Mustang which was celebrated in Concord in 2014.
The project is the concept of long-time Mustang enthusiasts Steve Hall, from Atlanta, Georgia and Ron Bramlett, from Morada, California.
The museum itself will be over 42,000 square-feet, most of which will be showroom floor space for a rotating stock of unique and classic Mustangs.
Interior Layout
According to their website, “The Museum will present many exhibits for the guests to enjoy from the 1964 New York’s World Fair to Mustang Racing, as two examples. The interior layout link below will provide more information on the 14 exhibits, along with the 18 Museum quality Mustangs displayed in the center of the Museum. The Museum will display a total of 40-44 Mustangs. The Museum will change the display of the exhibits and vehicles on a regular basis, keeping the Museum fresh for guests.”
Put on your thinking caps, because two new experiences are coming to Discovery Place Science!
The Museum just announced that the exhibition space on Level 3 of the Museum will be closed to the public for the installation of Think It Up. This new exhibition will complete the Level 3 renovation, which includes the maker lab, Thinker Space. The full experience will be celebrated with a grand opening on Saturday, August 26.
Made possible through the support of Lowe’s as Founding Sponsor, Think It Up and Thinker Space are inspired by the fundamental human desire to make and create. These new hands-on spaces will provide a platform for learners to collaborate, share ideas and develop fresh skills, while exploring new materials, tools and processes to inspire design thinking. Guests will have the unique opportunity to test ideas, take risks and persevere through challenges.
“Lowe’s understands the importance of cultivating young minds through hands-on learning, which is why we’ve funded several STEM grants at schools across the country,” said James Frison, director of community relations at Lowe’s. “In North Carolina, we’ve supported a robotics team in Iredell County and converted an everyday classroom space into a STEAM lab on the coast. We can’t wait to see how this space will encourage new collaboration and creativity in Charlotte.”
Earlier this year, the entirety of Level 3 at Discovery Place Science was transformed from meeting space into a 5,000 sq. ft. bright canvas for a state-of-the-art hands-on, minds-in exhibition and lab. Funds for the renovation were generously provided by The City of Charlotte, who owns the Discovery Place Science facility.
Think It Up is a re-imagination of the popular Discovery Place Science exhibition of the same name formerly located on Level 2 of the Museum. New and updated exhibits will allow guests to experiment, collaborate and learn-by-doing through fabrication stations and interactive experiences that provide visitors with opportunities to engage with both DIY (do-it-yourself) and DIT (do-it-together) projects.
Earlier this year, Thinker Space opened in Beta mode to test new curriculum and activities with guests. This interactive maker lab encourages guests to take risks and experiment with new tools and materials to create something from scratch. Guests can follow along with facilitated building prompts or make their own design using tools (from simple hand saws to advanced 3D printers) and resources (metal, wood, wires, microchips, etc.) to hand-craft unique creations.
“We are excited to provide a place in the Museum where visitors of all ages can innovate and invent,” said Catherine Wilson Horne, Discovery Place president and CEO. “We are lucky to have a partner like Lowe’s who understands the importance of learning by doing and who was ready to support us as we created a space for that to happen.”
Here’a a look at Charlotte’s first ‘maker space’ – the Idea Box in the Charlotte’s Uptown Library branch;
Think It Up and Thinker Space are included with Discovery Place Science admission. Discovery Place Science admission is $17 for adults (14-59); $13 for children (2-13); $15 for seniors (60+); and free for Discovery Place Science Members and children younger than 2, plus tax. IMAX® tickets may be added for an additional $5 per person. Discounts are available for groups of 15 or more. Children age 13 and younger must be accompanied by a responsible adult while in Discovery Place. Guests can purchase tickets online at science.discoveryplace.org., via phone at 704.372.6261 or in person.
Yesterday Charlotte held its annual ’24 Hours of Booty’ – a 24-hour charity bike ride around some of our city’s most beautiful streets.
The event was named after what local Charlotteans refer to as the ‘booty loop’, an extremely popular biking route in Myer’s Park (if you bike it long enough, you’ll develop a very fit booty);
This year’s event raised over $1.7 million “to support cancer navigation and survivorship programs in cancer centers locally and nationally”.
Over 1,200 cyclists came out yesterday to support the Charlotte-based charity, in spite the heat and rain;
This year’s event also featured the first ’24 hour walk for booty’;
If you’d like to find out more information about what the 24 foundation does, or of if you’d like to donate, you can visit 24foundation.org here.
An anti-illegal-immigration surge is currently underway in Charlotte, led by the federal government’s ICE division. According to Spanish-language newspaper Hola Noticias, there have already been at least 50 arrests and deportations in Charlotte since July 18.
The current crackdown is targeting teenagers who crossed the border illegally without guardians, and who are suspected to be affiliated with gangs.
ICE will release specific details and statistics about their current surge in Charlotte once the operation concludes.
Mecklenburg County is now estimated to be home to over 54,000 undocumented immigrants, about 1/6th of North Carolina’s entire estimated undocumented population of 338,000, according to migrationpolicy.org.
Our city has been accused of being a ‘sanctuary city’, ignoring immigration laws and supporting illegal immigrants. City officials, however, say that this is not the case.
While the Charlotte Mecklenburg police to not actively seek to arrest illegal immigrants, Mecklenburg County Sheriff Deputies do verify the legal status of every inmate that is put in our jail. If a person is found to not be legal, they will be deported. This policy of checking inmates (policy 287g) resulted in 100 people being deported in 2016.
Charlotte’s historic Coliseum Center is about to be redeveloped into a massive new $35 million retail center called ‘Coliseum Crossing’. We just found out that it will be anchored by Sonic Automotive’s new flagship ‘Echopark’ dealership brand.
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.
There will be 3 fewer places for tea time around the Charlotte region by Spring of 2018.
A Gastonia man was just sentenced to 4 life sentences in federal prison for sex trafficking, child pornography, and child prostitution charges.
As more and more people flock to organic and chemical-free diets, many restaurants are discovering huge new opportunities.
Put on your thinking caps, because two new experiences are coming to Discovery Place Science!
An anti-illegal-immigration surge is currently underway in Charlotte, led by the federal government’s ICE division. According to Spanish-language newspaper