Seven Lancaster County Food Establishments Receive B Grades In October Inspections

The South Carolina Department of Agriculture conducted 80 restaurant and food service inspections in Lancaster County in October. Seven of those inspections resulted in a B grade, and none resulted in a C.

The remaining 73 inspections earned an A. Pizza Inn on North Main Street in Lancaster and Flat Creek Quick Stop in Kershaw posted the lowest scores of the month, 78 points each. Four of the seven establishments that received a B were upgraded to an A on a follow-up inspection before the end of October.

How the grades work

The Department of Agriculture scores retail food establishments on a 100-point scale. A score of 88 to 100 earns an A, 78 to 87 earns a B and 70 to 77 earns a C. Inspectors can also lower a grade when priority violations are still out at a follow-up inspection, which is why three establishments this month received a B with scores in the A range. Establishments that need a follow-up are typically reinspected within 10 days.

Pizza Inn, Lancaster

Pizza Inn, 1107 N. Main St., received a B with 78 points on a routine inspection Oct. 6. On the pizza buffet, the inspector recorded “Cheeseburger pizza 108F, sausage pizza 94F,” and on the salad bar “potato salad 94F.” In the back storage room the report lists “cooked fettuccine noodles 47F, spaghetti noodles 48F.” The hot holding and cold holding violations were each marked as consecutive violations that “may be referred to Enforcement.” The inspector also found an employee cutting pizza did not put on gloves before touching ready-to-eat pizza, and the “Service sink does not have a dual check backflow prevention device and has a garden hose attached to a “Y” split,” which was not corrected.

Other violations included an “Ice bin in the back drink area prep area” with “excess debris,” a “Drive thru window” that “is not self closing and does not have an air curtain,” split and cracked gaskets in the main pizza make station and on the walk-in freezer door, and a “Dishwasher interior and exterior” with “excess debris build up.” Excess dirt and debris on floors throughout the facility was also marked as a consecutive violation. The restaurant was upgraded to an A at a follow-up inspection Oct. 13.

Flat Creek Quick Stop, Kershaw

Flat Creek Quick Stop, 3562 Gold Mine Highway, received a B with 78 points on a routine inspection Oct. 30. At the main make station, the inspector recorded “ground beef 46F, shell eggs 62F,” and in reach-in refrigeration “coleslaw 47F, bologna 47F, ranch 48F.” The cold holding violation was not corrected and was marked as a consecutive violation that “may be referred to Enforcement.” The report also states “Facility has excess flies,” which was not corrected.

The inspector found “Employee did not wash hands between tasks (register to preparing food.)” and shelled eggs stored over milk, sodas and raw pork sausage. “Pork sausage in warming drawer” measured 98 degrees. Those three items were corrected. The report also notes the “Hand sink in kitchen area continues to run after the spigot is turned off” and an “Ice machine in dining area has debris buildup.” Debris and organic matter under the three-compartment sink was cited as a consecutive violation. No follow-up inspection appeared in the October records.

521 BBQ & Grill, Lancaster

521 BBQ & Grill Lancaster, 123 S. Main St., received a B with 83 points on a routine inspection Oct. 8. The inspector found “Raw beef stored over ready to eat sausage at make line,” recorded “pork butt 130 F, green beans 125 F” in the hot hold unit and “coleslaw 46 F, potato salad 45 F” on the make line, and found “Medication stored at cook line.” Those four violations were not corrected.

The report also states the facility was holding chicken wings using time as a public health control, but the food was not marked with the time four hours after it was removed from temperature control. That was corrected. The inspector also noted “Single use cups used as scoops.” The restaurant was upgraded to an A at a follow-up inspection Oct. 15.

Mythri Mart Restaurant and Food Court, Indian Land

Mythri Mart LLC Restaurant/ Food court, 9571 Charlotte Highway, received a B with 83 points on a routine inspection Oct. 9. The inspector “Observed employee change tasks without hand washing” and found the “Dish machine testing at 0 PPM at time of inspection.” The facility “could not provide chlorine test strips for dish machine” and was using pots too large to be submerged in the three-compartment sink or cleaned in the dish machine. Those violations were not corrected. A “Hand sink at serving line” was “blocked with container,” which was corrected.

The report also cites “Food containers in reach coolers at cook line not covered,” “Facility using nonfood grade containers for storage” and “Hoods at cook line have debris build up.” The food court was upgraded to an A at a follow-up inspection Oct. 14.

KT’s Mini Mart, Lancaster

KT’s Mini Mart, 4457 Taxahaw Road, earned an A on a routine inspection Oct. 1. At a follow-up inspection Oct. 7 it scored 91 points but was lowered to a B, and the report notes an automatic downgrade. The inspector found “Water temperature did not exceed 73F at time of inspection,” “Hand drying provisions not supplied at time of inspection” and “Facility does not have test strips at time of inspection.” None of those were corrected.

The report also states the “Ice machine has organic matter build up,” marked as a consecutive violation, and the “Pizza peel and pizza cutter were not washed after 4 hours or as needed.” No follow-up inspection appeared in the October records.

Subway, Lancaster

Subway (Ashvi 25 LLC), 1732 Old Airport Road, earned an A on a routine inspection Oct. 13. At a follow-up inspection Oct. 21 it scored 92 points but was lowered to a B. The report states, “Facility being downgraded to a B due to failure to correct priority violations.” At the main make station the inspector recorded “sliced tomatoes 49F, Spinach 50F, grilled chicken 51F, roast chicken 50F, teriyaki chicken 49F, steak 51F, ham 50 F, turkey 50F, roast beef 50, tuna salad 49F.”

The report also notes a “Gasket is split and cracked at the top of the walk in cooler door,” “Ceiling tiles missing in back storage room” and “Floors under equipment, in corners and throughout facility have excess dirt and debris accumulation.” The restaurant was upgraded to an A at a follow-up inspection Oct. 29.

Publix #1412 Deli, Indian Land

The Publix #1412 deli, 8360 Charlotte Highway, earned an A on a routine inspection Oct. 22. At a follow-up inspection Oct. 29 it scored 97 points but was lowered to a B. The report states, “Facility downgraded to B, due to cold holding still out at follow up.” In the Boar’s Head fresh slice cooler, the inspector recorded “turkey 48F, Tavern Ham 48F, Hickory Smoke black forest ham 48F.”

The report also notes the visit addressed two complaints. One was verified and one was not. A follow-up inspection is required within 10 days, which falls in November.

Look up a restaurant

Inspection grades and full reports for any establishment in Lancaster County are available through the SC Food Grades tool on the South Carolina Department of Agriculture website at agriculture.sc.gov.