Dead flies + rodent activity: September Bluffton, Beaufort restaurant health report
Six Beaufort County food businesses were cited with “B” grades in September health inspections by the South Carolina Department of Agriculture. Here is the language from their reports:
Amigos, 133 Belfair Village Drive, scored an 86% (B) on Sept. 17 in a routine inspection. Issues noted by inspectors included: A food handler washing and rinsing utensils, food storage pans and bowls at a three bay sink without performing a sanitizing step as required; the facility not date marking RTE TCS foods as required including heat treated pinto beans, heat treated black beans, tomato salsa, pico de gallo and pork carnitas all held without date marks for disposition; RTE TCS foods in undated containers; food probe thermometer in poor repair and not properly calibrated; bulk spices and ingredients stored in unlabeled recycled plastic containers; a food handler washing zucchini in an active three compartment sink; wet and soiled wiping cloths on prep tables and cutting boards in the kitchen; and a serving spoon in pico de gallo with handle turned down and in contact ready to eat food.
The restaurant was reinspected on Sept. 18 and scored a 97% (A).
Brays Island Inn/Restaurant, 100 William Campbell Road, scored a 79% (B) on Sept. 18 in a routine inspection. Issues noted by inspectors included: An employee handling lettuce and lunch meat with bare hands; no soap at hand sink in prep area; no paper towels at hand sinks on cook line or at hand sink in prep area; no hand washing sign at hand sinks; ROP food received from another facility; chemical dish machine chlorine sanitizer test strips not provided by facility; dishwasher sanitizers at incorrect levels; food not held at the correct temperature; commercial ROP fish not opened from packaging before thawing; food in containers stored on floor of walk in cooler; and standup cooler on cook line is in poor repair and cannot hold food at the required minimum temperature.
The restaurant was reinspected on Sept. 24 and scored a 100% (A).
La Poblanita Restaurant, 4490 Bluffton Park Park Crescent, scored a 78% (B) on Sept. 24 in a routine inspection. Issues noted by inspectors included: The bar hand sink at the incorrect temperature and with no approved drying provision available; dishwasher sanitizers at incorrect levels; food storage pans stored as clean but found to be unclean to sight and touch; food held outside of minimum temperature requirements that through discussion with PIC was ascertained to have been cooked the previous day and is still in the cooling process; facility not date marking TCS foods for disposition as required; heat treated ground beef, refried beans, shredded chicken, carnitas and nopales held without date marks for disposition as required; working spray bottles of chemicals without labels; deep, covered containers of refried beans stacked up and still in the cooling process from the previous day; electronic insect control device installed over food prep table and equipment with some dead flies on table below; a heavy presence of house flies in the three compartment sink area; rodent activity at sods boxes; ice scoops stored handles down in ice at two stations; single use utensils offered for consumer self-service in a manner that does not prevent contamination of lip-contact surfaces; and the chemical dish machine chlorine sanitizer test strips not provided by facility.
The restaurant was scheduled for a followup inspection within 10 days. That report had not been posted at press time.
Local Pie, 15 State of Mind St., scored an 87% (B) on Sept. 17 in a routine inspection. Issues noted by inspectors included: Food handlers drinking from an open top cup at the pizza line; the interior of kitchen ice machine with a heavy accumulation of organic matter; a food handler rinsing a soiled immersion blender stem and then storing it as clean without performing a sanitizing step as required; the facility offering raw unpasteurized egg Caesar salad dressing without consumer advisory; the facility not having a suitable small diameter probe for measuring the internal temperature of food; the back door propped open upon arrival for inspection; and the case of lemons stored on the walk in refrigerator floor.
The restaurant was reinspected on Sept. 18 and scored a 100% (A).
Taco Fiesta, 4 Oliver Count, scored an 85% (B) on Sept. 25 in a routine inspection. Issues noted by the inspectors included: The hand sink hot water at the incorrect temperature, blocked for use by equipment and utensils, and without a hand washing sign; food including steak and chicken not at the correct temperature; the facility not date marking RTE TCS foods for disposition as required including the cooked rice, cooked beans and heat treated beef; the service window left open without an air curtain or other means of protection; a wet and soiled wiping cloth on cutting board; and a sleeve of take out boxes stored on the truck floor.
The restaurant was scheduled for a followup inspection within 10 days. That report had not been posted at press time.
Young’s BBQ, 258 Red Cedar St., scored a 98% (B) in a follow-up 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: No certified food protection manager on duty.
The restaurant was reinspected on Sept. 19 and scored a 97% (A).
Jasper County
One Jasper County food business was cited with a “B” and “C” grade during the same time period:
Rio Chico Mexican Restaurant, 468 D Mark Cummings Road Suite 107, scored a 79% (B) on Sept. 11 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: Food not at correct hot or cold holding temperature; multiple bottles of chemicals stored with clean dishes, with RTE food in the kitchen and at the bar; an open container of ice cream and open container of chicken with condensation water frozen on it inside the walkin freezer; a bus tubs of food stored on the floor in the freeze; an open box of RTE food stored on wet floor on back prep line, a condensation leak in walkin cooler dripping into RTE foods; multiple soiled wiping cloths stored in the freezer; the water pitcher with handle submerged in container of RTE salsa; spoons submerged in container of RTE cinnamon sugar, the three compartment sink being held together with duct tape and spray foam that is not sealed; and leaks in the two compartment sink and three compartment sink.
The restaurant was reinspected on Sept. 13 and scored a 86% (C).
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 reinspection.
- A: 88% to 100%
- B: 78% to 87%
- C: 77% or less
During September, SCDA recorded 321 inspections of restaurants, schools, stores and other food establishments in Beaufort County and 46 for 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.
