August restaurant health report: Live moths, flies and larval worms found in food bins
Seven Beaufort County food businesses were cited with “B” grades and “C” grades in August health inspections by the South Carolina Department of Agriculture. Here is the language from their reports:
Wayback Burgers, 4 Bluffton Road, scored an 82% (C) on August 21 in a routine inspection. This percentage normally would merit a B, but the restaurant’s grade was kept at a C because of continuing violations. Issues noted by inspectors included: A food handler conducting customer checkout and then donning gloves and beginning to handle food without hand washing as required; several buckets stacked upside down in hand sink, blocking access to sink; a food handler washing, rinsing and storing equipment and utensils as clean without performing a sanitizing step as required; cold food not at the correct temperature; utensils stored handle down in french fries; line low boy cooler and line refrigerated drawers unable to hold TCS foods at 41 F or below as required; no sanitizing agent; and a line drawer refrigerator with dried on food debris.
The restaurant was reinspected on August 28 and scored a 99% (A).
El Super Market, 33 Sherington Dr., scored a 92% (B) on August 27 in a routine inspection. This percentage normally would merit an A, but the restaurant’s grade was kept at a B because of continuing violations. Issues noted by inspectors included: Foods packaged in the facility without labeling information of any kind; fly tape strips installed above prep areas and clean dish drainboard; infestation of live moths, flies and other insects in bulk sesame seed bin; live larval worms in bulk sugar bin; pots of prepared foods without lids stored on walk in refrigerator floor; open cases and uncased single service items stored on the attic dry storage room floor; walk in freezer floor and door with heavy accumulation of grime and food debris; and floor of walk in cooler seen to be degraded, damaged and no longer easily cleanable.
- The restaurant was reinspected on August 27 and scored a 91% (A).
GT International Cafe, 807 William Hilton Parkway, scored a 83% (B) on August 1 in a routine inspection. Issues noted by inspectors included: A food handler touching their personal cell phone and then donning a pair of gloves to handle RTE food without hand washing as required; sinks blocked with equipment and not easily accessible for food handlers; kitchen hand sinks without hand washing soap available; both kitchen hand sinks without hand drying provisions provided; food not at the correct temperatures; no date marking system with food in undated containers; and rodent activity on top of pizza ovens and underneath storage shelves and ceiling tiles.
- The restaurant was reinspected on August 13 and scored a 100% (A).
Hewitt Oaks, 205 Stillwell Road, scored a 92% (B) on August 15 in a routine inspection. This percentage normally would merit an A, but the restaurant’s grade was kept at a B because of continuing violations. Issues noted by inspectors included: Facility test kit unable to accurately test sanitizing solution and rodent activity on top of hot water heater and below storage rack by three compartment sink.
- The restaurant was reinspected on August 23 and scored a 100% (A).
Okan Bluffton, 71 Calhoun St., scored a 98% (B) on August 2 in a routine inspection. This percentage normally would merit an A, but the restaurant’s grade was kept at a B because of continuing violations. Issues noted by inspectors included: Facility is reduced oxygen packaging various meats and fish without a variance and chlorine and Quat test strips not provided for chemical dish machine and three compartment sink.
- The restaurant was reinspected on August 14 and scored a 100% (A).
Okatie Ale House, 25 William Pope Court, scored a 79% (B) on August 28 in a routine inspection. Issues noted by inspectors included: Observing a bucket of fish with a dead fly, discolored hamburgers, two sheet pans of uncovered lettuce and tomato set ups staked on top of each other and the top sheet pan with a bottle of water stored on top of them; 10 cans with heavy accumulation of rust on top; chicken, fish, beef and crab cakes all stored together in the same container in prep kitchen trailer; chemical dish machine chlorine sanitizer test strips provided by facility and inspectors; in use food prep counter on the cook line with accumulation of food debris; cold food not at the correct temperature; facility is thawing intact salmon against recommended thawing methods; may flies throughout facility, kitchen, walk-in cooler, back prep kitchen and storage areas; live cockroaches behind dish machine; gaskets on hot line prep coolers with a heavy build up of black organic matter; and light ceiling fixtures in dish and food prep area without protective covering.
The restaurant was scheduled for a followup inspection within 10 days. That report had not been posted at press time.
Palmetto Hall Country Club, 108 Fort Howell Dr., scored a 95% (B) on August 2 in a routine inspection. This percentage normally would merit an A, but the restaurant’s grade was kept at a B because of continuing violations. Issues noted by inspectors included: Quat test strips not provided at three compartment sink and tile floor outside walk-in cooler to be cracked and no longer easily cleanable.
- The restaurant was reinspected on August August 9 and scored a 100% (A).
Jasper County
One Jasper County food business was cited with a “B” grade during the same time period:
Savannah Pizza Co., 7728 Main Street, scored a 90% (B) on August 21 in a routine inspection. This percentage normally would merit an A, but the restaurant’s grade was kept at a B because of continuing violations. Issues noted by inspectors included: Cold food not at the correct temperature; premade steak sandwiches held for longer than seven days; heavy build up of organic debris on walls of interior and exterior of walk-in cooler; water stains on ceiling by pizza oven; and walls of interior of walk-in cooler to be in disrepair.
The restaurant was reinspected on August 26 and scored a 99% (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 in a re-inspection.
- A: 88% to 100%
- B: 78% to 87%
- C: 77% or less
During July, SCDA recorded 232 inspections of restaurants, schools, stores and other food establishments in Beaufort County and 47 inspections in Jasper 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.
This story was originally published September 11, 2024 at 5:00 AM with the headline "August restaurant health report: Live moths, flies and larval worms found in food bins."
