5 Beaufort Co. restaurants earned grades lower than ‘A’ in health inspections. Take a look
Five Beaufort County food businesses were cited with grades below an “A” in initial health inspections in January by the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control:
▪ Dairy Queen, 30 Plantation Park Drive #201 in Bluffton, scored an 85% (B) in a routine inspection on Jan. 18. Among the issues noted were problems with water temperature at a handwashing sink; lack of sanitizer in a warewashing sink; a dead mouse and rodent droppings; a cutting board in poor condition; maintenance issues with the ice cream machine, cake display case and reach-in freezer; broken floor tiles; and accumulation of food grime in the cake display case and the reach-in freezer, on the hood filter and under the ice cream machine.
The restaurant was reinspected for a change of ownership permit under the name DQ Grill & Chill on Feb. 3 and scored a 94% (A). A second inspection, marked routine, conducted later the same day gave the restaurant a 93% (A).
▪ La Nopalera Mexican Restaurant, 1220 Ribaut Road in Beaufort, scored a 96% in a follow-up inspection on Jan. 19. That normally would merit an A grade, but the restaurant was given a B because a violation found during a routine inspection Jan. 10 had not been corrected. On Jan. 19, the inspector noted the lack of a date marking system for ready-to-eat foods stored in the walk-in cooler and prep unit.
The restaurant was reinspected on Jan. 24 and scored a 100% (A).
▪ La Poblanita Restaurant, 4490 Bluffton Parkway in Bluffton, scored an 82% (B) in a routine inspection on Jan. 24. The inspector noted employee handwashing and glove-use violations, use of the same cutting board for cooked food and raw meat, lack of sanitizer in the warewashing machine, food temperature issues and surface cleaning issues.
The restaurant was reinspected on Feb. 2 and scored a 100% (A).
▪ Robber’s Row Grille, 10 Clubhouse Drive on Hilton Head, scored an 84% (B) in a routine inspection on Jan. 24. The inspector noted the lack of handwashing signs at sinks, the lack of a consumer advisory on menu items served undercooked, fresh shellfish without a date, lack of sanitizer in the chemical dish machine, and food holding temperature issues.
The restaurant was reinspected on Feb. 2 and scored a 100% (A).
▪ Waffle House #1975, 116 High Tide Drive in Beaufort, scored a 97% in a follow-up inspection on Jan. 19. That normally would merit an A grade, but the restaurant was given a B because one violation found during a routine inspection on Jan. 10 had not been corrected. The inspector noted that there was no time stamp on eggs held at ambient temperature.
The restaurant was reinspected on Jan. 24 and scored a 100% (A).
What the grades mean
Inspectors hand out a grade of A, B or C, depending on the conditions found at the time. Points are docked for a variety of infractions, and restaurants have a chance to correct the problems and improve their score.
- A: 88% to 100%
- B: 78% to 87%
- C: 77% or less
During January, DHEC recorded 167 inspections of restaurants, schools, grocery stores and other food establishments in Beaufort County. The agency publishes the results of health inspections on its website.
Below are the SC DHEC restaurant grades in Beaufort County from Jan. 1-31, 2023.
At the top left of the chart, there is a space to search for the name of a restaurant. Please note that this month’s inspections take up two pages. Switch to page 2 at the top right.
This story was originally published February 8, 2023 at 10:00 AM.
