State Inspectors Issue Nine B Grades And Two C Grades In York County In August

Nine York County food establishments were posting B grades and two were posting C grades at some point during August, according to inspection reports from the South Carolina Department of Agriculture.

The agency logged 303 inspections in the county during the month, counting routine visits and follow-ups. Two businesses, Earth Fare Deli in Rock Hill and the La Calentana food truck in Fort Mill, accounted for both a B and a C after inspectors returned and found priority violations still uncorrected.

The Department of Agriculture scores retail food establishments on a 100-point scale and posts a letter grade decal at each site after every inspection. A score of 88 or higher earns an A, 78 to 87 earns a B, and 77 or below earns a C. The posted grade does not always match the score. State regulation lets inspectors lower a grade for consecutive violations or for priority violations that have not been fixed by the time of a follow-up, and five York County businesses were downgraded that way in August. Three of them scored 92 points or better and still lost a letter grade.

Earth Fare Deli in Rock Hill

Earth Fare Deli, at 725 Cherry Road, scored 82 points on a routine inspection Aug. 13. The inspector found sanitizer at the three-compartment sink testing at zero parts per million, hand sinks that would not reach 100 degrees, no way to dry hands at one sink, evidence of pests in the dish area, and butane and cleaning products stored with food at the bakery prep table. Cold holding was out across the store, from shredded cheddar at 48 degrees on the salad bar to tiramisu at 58 degrees in the bakery cooler. Cold food must be held at 41 degrees or lower.

At a follow-up Aug. 20, the sanitizer still tested at zero, the hand sink still had no drying provision, and the chemicals were still stored with food. The deli scored 91 points, enough for an A on the numbers alone, and was downgraded to a C. Another follow-up was required within 10 days. None appears in the August records.

La Calentana in Fort Mill

La Calentana, which also operates as Victor Cafe at 3674 Highway 51, was downgraded twice. At a follow-up Aug. 7, the mobile unit scored 93 points and was dropped to a B for drawing water from an unapproved source and dumping gray water into an unsecured connection. The report also notes the person in charge had no food handler card and the truck was not returning to its commissary within 24 hours of operating.

The water source was fixed by the time the inspector returned Aug. 28. The gray water was not. The truck was still using an unsecured connection in the side of the building, and the operation was downgraded to a C despite scoring 98 points. A follow-up is due in September.

Wing King of York

Wing King of York, at 20 N. Congress St., scored 81 points Aug. 6, the lowest score among the reports reviewed. Cooked black beans, cheese dip and chili in the steam well were between 118 and 125 degrees, below the 135-degree minimum, and potatoes, black beans, tomatoes, chicken wings and boiled eggs in the prep cooler ranged from 47 to 51 degrees. Both violations were flagged as consecutive and may go to enforcement.

The inspector also found bleach and cleaning solution shelved with syrup and single-use cups, an employee reheating food with long or painted nails and no gloves, wings cooling in a deep pan, rice sealed before it finished cooling, propped-open screen doors with holes in the mesh and buckets of dressing on the walk-in cooler floor. Most items were corrected on site. A follow-up was required within 10 days and does not appear in the August records.

Lees Convenience Store Plus in Rock Hill

Lees Convenience Store Plus, at 2165 Ebenezer Road, scored 84 points Aug. 6, and most of what the inspector found went uncorrected. Fried pork chops, fried chicken and chicken on a stick in the display case were between 119 and 129 degrees. Lettuce, coleslaw and turkey on the cook line were between 45 and 49 degrees. Hot dogs, turkey and bologna had been held past the seven-day limit, a consecutive violation that may go to enforcement. The hand sink was blocked by chairs, also consecutive, and had no paper towels. A required follow-up does not appear in the August records.

Piggly Wiggly in Clover

Piggly Wiggly #149, at 136 S. Main St., scored 85 points Aug. 28. The inspector saw an employee wash his hands in the meat department’s three-compartment sink and saw produce cut and packaged without gloves. Cut fruit and vegetables, rope sausage and pork ribs were held past their disposition dates. The report also lists dead flies in the dairy case, ice buildup in the produce freezer, organic growth on the meat department ceiling and ceiling tiles in poor repair. A complaint against the store was not verified. A follow-up is due in September.

Charanda of Newport in Rock Hill

Charanda of Newport, at 4811 Old York Road, scored 85 points Aug. 19. Stickers and sticker residue were on dishes stored as clean, a consecutive violation that was not corrected and may go to enforcement. Salsa by the tortilla chip station was at 46 degrees and diced tomatoes on the tableside guacamole cart at 61 degrees. Mole and ranchero sauce were past their disposition date. The inspector also found an unlabeled spray bottle, first aid supplies above a prep table and drain flies at the bar. A required follow-up does not appear in the August records.

Dave’s Hot Chicken in Rock Hill

Dave’s Hot Chicken, at 2476 Cherry Road, scored 92 points at a follow-up Aug. 24 and was downgraded to a B because chicken in the cook line cooler was still at 45 degrees. The inspector also found organic buildup inside the soda nozzles and a drive-up window that was not self-closing. A follow-up is due in September.

China in Rock Hill

China, at 1726 Ebenezer Road, scored 97 points at a follow-up Aug. 11 but kept a B because cooked chicken and pork were still being held longer than seven days. Another follow-up was required within 10 days and does not appear in the August records.

John Boys in Fort Mill

John Boys, at 140 Spratt St., scored 98 points at a follow-up Aug. 21 and was downgraded to a B for a consecutive violation, the lack of backflow prevention on its mop sink. It was the only downgraded establishment in the county that month not sent another follow-up.

Inspection reports for every permitted food establishment in South Carolina, including the full reports summarized here, are posted on the SC Food Grades tool, which can be reached through the Department of Agriculture website at agriculture.sc.gov.