Unclean gloves, bare hands noted by restaurant inspectors in Hilton Head and Bluffton
Three Beaufort County food businesses, along with one in Jasper County, were cited with “B” grades in November health inspections by the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control:
New York City Pizza, 107 Towne Drive in Bluffton, scored an 80% (B) on Nov. 14 in a routine inspection. Issues noted by inspectors included the lack of a Certified Food Protection Manager certificate; food handler moving from task to task, going outside and returning to food handling, without changing gloves; no chlorine in the chemical dish machine; issues with cold food temperatures on the pizza prep table; food without date marks; food held longer than seven days; toxic chemicals stored with food and in food prep areas; working spray bottles of chemicals without identifying labeling; and the outdoor ice machine draining to the ground.
- The restaurant was reinspected on Nov. 27 and scored a 98% (A).
SERG Catering, 12 Capital Drive on Hilton Head Island, scored an 85% (B) on Nov. 15 in a routine inspection. Issues noted by inspectors included issues with cold food temperatures in the open display cooler; food held longer than seven days; a working spray bottle of chemicals in the dish area without labeling; bug repellent stored on food prep table; ice scoops stored directly on top of the outdoor ice machine; single service items stored on the floor of the dry storage area; outdoor cooking without authorization along with no means to protect food items from contamination during transport and cooking, using a smoker/grill on an unfinished surface that is not easily cleanable and no hand-washing sink available during the process.
- The restaurant was reinspected on Nov. 27 and scored a 100% (A).
Wise Guys Lounge, 1513 Main St. on Hilton Head, scored an 83% (B) on Nov. 27 in a routine inspection that was the result of a public complaint. Issues noted by inspectors included issues with cold food temperatures in the walk-in cooler and on the cook line; food held longer than seven days; food held longer than 24 hours without date marks; fresh herbs, raspberries and strawberries subject to splash from spoiled arugula; gaskets to the outdoor walk-in coolers with accumulation of grime; food debris and meat juice on the bottom of the protein walk-in cooler; and an accumulation of grease and food splatter on the sides of equipment.
- The restaurant was reinspected on Dec. 1 and scored a 100% (A).
Jasper County
The following restaurant is located in Jasper County but is frequented by many Beaufort County residents because of its location near the county line. During November, DHEC inspectors conducted 33 checks of Jasper County businesses; all others were given A grades.
Rio Chico, 468D Mark Cummings Road, Suite 107, in Hardeeville, scored an 84% (B) on Nov. 20 in a routine inspection. Issues noted by inspectors included an employee cutting and handling ready-to-eat fruit with bare hands; beans cooked the night before and still in the process of cooling; the lack of a date-marking system; food held longer than 24 hours without date marks; gaskets of the drawer cooler dried, torn and in poor repair; grease and food debris on line-cooking equipment; food debris and splatter on equipment storage shelving; and an excess of trash, spillage and food debris on floors behind equipment.
- The restaurant scored two C’s in September inspections before scoring an A in October.
- The restaurant was reinspected on Nov. 30 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 November, DHEC recorded 126 inspections of restaurants, schools, stores and other food establishments in Beaufort County. The agency publishes the results of these health inspections on its website.
Newer food grade decals include a QR code that customers can scan with their phones to see a food establishment’s latest report.
Below are the SC DHEC restaurant grades in Beaufort County from Nov. 1-30, 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.
