Highlights
- The health departments inspected 27 restaurants, out of which 3 failed.
- Inspectors noted several serious food safety violations at the restaurants.
- A follow-up inspection will be conducted in the next 10 days; if the restaurants fail again, their permits will be suspended.
In the inspections conducted by the health departments of Gwinnett, Newton & Rockdale County on January 9, a total of 3 restaurants failed. The restaurants failed the inspections as they scored below 70 points and were given a “U” grade. These establishments did not meet the requirements set by the department for the prevention of foodborne illnesses.
The GNR Public Health Department inspected 27 restaurants on Thursday, January 9. Among them, 6 scored the perfect 100 points, and a total of 19 scored 90 and above, receiving the A grade. Grade B was scored by 5 restaurants.
Three Restaurants Fail Health Inspection
Serious instances of food safety violations were observed during the inspections that were conducted on Thursday. Inspectors noted several issues regarding hygiene practices and managerial problems at these restaurants.
An’s Kitchen
An’s Kitchen, located at 5495 Jimmy Carter Blvd in Norcross, was the worst-performing restaurant in yesterday’s inspection. The restaurant scored only 48 points on the inspection. Surprisingly, the restaurant had scored a perfect score of 100 in the last inspection conducted in November 2024.
The handwashing sinks were filled with utensils. Mold-like substance was found in the interior bin of the ice machine.
An employee’s food plate was found on the prep table in the kitchen. Employees were also seen to be handling clean utensils with contaminated gloves. Overall, employees were seen to be engaging in several unhygienic actions in the kitchen, according to the report.
The food and equipment storage also had issues. Improper refrigeration, food being stored at the risk of cross-contamination, and so on were observed.
While many issues were solved during the inspections, the other issues are to be addressed and resolved within ten days. A follow-up inspection will be conducted and if the restaurant fails, it may face suspension of its license. The full report is available on the official website of the department.
Wayback Burgers
Wayback Burgers, located at 6323 Grand Hickory Drive in Braselton failed the health inspection as it was only able to score 67 points. The restaurant had scored 96 points in the previous inspections conducted on July 1, 2024.
The first instance noted in the report is how food was being handled unhygienically in the kitchen. Inspectors saw employees not washing their hands and violating gloves rules. They intervened and made the employee correct their actions immediately. They also observed milkshake cups that were stored inside the handwashing sink next to the freezer at the front of the kitchen.
Containers of raw beef were seen to be stored above bread in a reach-in freezer, at the risk of cross-contamination. It also noted that the facility lacked thermometers. The employees were not wearing hair restraints. Ice cream scoops were seen to be kept in water at room temperature and the Spigot for ice cream scoops was seen to be inoperable.
The issues that were not fixed during the inspection are to be fixed by January 17, in time for the follow-up inspection. Failure to resolve the violations may result in the suspension of the license of the restaurant. The full report has been uploaded to the official website of the health department.
American Deli
The American Deli, located at 2700 Braselton Highway in Dacula, failed the inspection after it scored only 69 points. The restaurant had scored B and A grades in the last two inspections, respectively.
As a foundational issue, the report noted that the person in charge did not demonstrate active managerial control and that multiple risk factors were present. The PIC was not at the restaurant when the inspectors arrived – they were late by 20 minutes.
The inspection report noted food items that were stored at the risk of cross-contamination. It also stated that TCS food items were discarded after it was found that it was not refrigerated properly. Employees were also seen to be not wearing proper hair restraints in the kitchen.
Lack of labels on food items was also observed. The inspectors made the employee discard several food items that were not labeled. It said that employees did not know when the rice that was stored was cooked.
While most of the issues were corrected on-site during the inspection, the issue with the PIC is to be resolved in 10 days. The follow-up inspection will take place in 10 days. The full report has been made available to the public.
Grave violations were observed at these restaurants during health inspection. The restaurants will have to promptly resolve the issues in the interest of public health and their licenses.
