Rodents, kitchen flies & dead centipedes: Worst Beaufort County restaurant inspections in June
Six Beaufort County food businesses were cited with “B” and “C” grades in June health inspections by the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control.
Here is a rundown of the restaurants that received the lowest ratings in June:
Piggly Wiggly: 1347 Ribaut Road, Port Royal
Piggly Wiggly scored 79% (B) on June 9 in a routine inspection. Issues noted by inspectors included:
The kitchen hand-wash sink’s hot water valve was turned off.
The sushi-making kiosk does not have a hand sink.
Soiled raw ground beef and frozen chicken were stored with in-use products.
Raw chicken was stored above ready-to-eat foods.
Raw beef was held in a container originally used to store raw chicken.
Chemical sanitation strips were not available.
Pasta salad, deli turkey and potato salad were held at incorrect cold temperatures.
Food stored in the freezer was touching ice.
Scoops without handles were stored in dried goods.
The deli display cooler is in poor condition.
Build-up of grease on the shelving above the sink.
Piggly Wiggly was reinspected on June 16 and scored a 98% (A).
Surf’s Up Frosty Dog: 8 North Forest Beach Drive, Hilton Head
Surf’s Up Frosty Dog scored 84% (B) on June 2 in a routine inspection. Issues noted by inspectors included:
A bag of baking flour had been chewed open by pests.
Grill cleaner and a working chemical spray bottle were stored with drink syrups.
An uncovered rodent bait station was under a rack in the dry storage area.
No food thermometer was available.
Rodent droppings were seen along all walls in the dry storage area, under the prep table hot line.
Observed chewed-up food packages and chewed cardboard debris on shelving.
Bulk sugar container was stored on the floor in front of the ice machine.
Single-use ice cream spoons were stored incorrectly.
The hot line microwave had food debris inside and was soiled on the outside.
The hood vent covers had a heavy accumulation of dust and were dripping grease.
The hand sink was leaking.
Surf’s Up Frosty Dog was first reinspected on June 10 and scored a 94% with a C grade for repeated violations.
Surf’s Up Frosty Dog was last reinspected on June 13 and scored a 100% (A).
La Nopalera Mexican Restaurant: 1220 Ribaut Road, Beaufort
La Nopalera Mexican Restaurant scored 73% (C) on June 11 during a routine inspection. Issues noted by inspectors included:
The establishment did not have a food handler or food manager certificate.
The line cook was eating in the kitchen area at the start of the inspection.
The kitchen handsink was used to wash produce and melt ice.
Raw chicken was stored above ready-to-eat foods.
Cooked beans and pork were left uncovered in the cooler.
An employee washed their hands without removing gloves.
Rice, milk and cheese were at the wrong hot holding temperatures.
No date-mark system was in place for ready-to-eat foods.
Cooked tamales, refried beans, pork, rice and tomatoes did not have discard date labels.
Bleach was stored on the same shelving as food equipment. Some bottles had no labels.
The back door was broken.
Flies were noticed throughout the kitchen.
Food in boxes and buckets was stored on the floor of the walk-in cooler.
Observed an employee grab ready-to-eat foods with a wiping cloth.
Raw wood was used for shelving.
The doors of the freezer were in poor condition.
La Nopalera Mexican Restaurant was reinspected on June 20 and scored 95% (A)
The DryDock Seafood and Spirits: 840 William Hilton Parkway, Hilton Head
The DryDock Seafood and Spirits scored 75% (C) on June 25 during a routine inspection. Issues noted by inspectors included:
An uncovered employee beverage container was sitting on a cooler shelf above ready-to-eat foods.
No hand drying materials were at the handwash sink.
Potatoes in dry storage were rotting and had white organic matter.
The potato press had a buildup of food debris and white organic matter.
The outside of the ice machine had a buildup of dirt.
Cooked chicken wings, fish, shrimp, raw chicken, cheese, butter and hot dogs were at incorrect cold holding temperatures.
Chemical spray bottle did not have a label.
Fish and chicken were thawing in containers of standing water.
Rodent droppings were seen in front of the walk-in cooler and dry storage area.
Dead cockroaches and centipedes were seen in the dry storage area, drink service station and dish area.
A heavy ice buildup was on multiple packages of food inside the freezer.
Utensils were stored in the spice containers.
Prep coolers held the wrong temperatures.
Floor drains in the prep area and the dish machine had a heavy buildup of organic matter and food debris.
Grease buildup on the hot line.
The DryDock Seafood and Spirits has not been reinspected as of July 1, but one is required within 10 days.
Oldfield Club: 4 Old Oak Court, Okatie
Oldfield Club scored at 94% with a “B” letter grade for repeated violations during a follow-up inspection on June 18. Issues noted by inspectors included:
Neither hand-washing sinks have proper hand-drying materials.
Cooked chicken breast, chicken tenders and hot dogs were at incorrect hot holding temperatures.
The facility does not have a probe thermometer.
Oldfield Club was reinspected on June 26 and scored at 100% (A).
Agave Mexican Grill: 1430 Ribaut Road, Port Royal
Agave Mexican Grill scored 94% with a “B” letter grade for repeated violations during a follow-up inspection on June 25. Issues noted by inspectors included:
Raw shrimp, raw chicken, tomatoes and lettuce were at the wrong cold holding temperatures in the walk-in cooler
Sour cream, raw shrimp and cooked chicken were at the wrong cold holding temperatures in the prep cooler. The prep cooler is also in poor repair.
Agave Mexican Grill was reinspected on June 26 and scored 100% (A).
What the grades mean
Inspectors give restaurants a grade of A, B or C, depending on the conditions found at the time. Points are docked for various infractions, and restaurants have a chance to correct the problems and improve their score in a reinspection.
The grade scale is as follows:
A: 88% to 100%
B: 78% to 87%
C: 77% or less
In June, the SCDA recorded 244 inspections of restaurants, schools, stores and other food establishments in Beaufort County and 33 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.
How to request an inspection
If there is an establishment for which you wish to request an inspection, you can submit a concern to the SCDA by filling out this Food Safety Complaint Form.
