Inspectors from the GNR county health department suspended the permit for the fast food joint that violated the food code on March 7, Friday. One of the Lilburn locations of the American Deli was the restaurant that failed the health inspection after scoring only 59 points in the inspection. The report listed noncompliance with several food code provisions, including repeat violations.
Highlights
- American Deli in the Lilburn area of Metro Atlanta failed the health inspection on Friday, March 7.
- It was not just that the restaurant failed the health inspection; it also had its permit suspended for a while before being reinstated.
- Violations at the restaurant included food safety risks, cross-contamination, improper storage, unclean surfaces, temperature issues, and facility maintenance problems.
Health Inspection Reveals Issues at American Deli in Lilburn
Located at 5385 Lawrenceville Hwy, the American Deli location was inspected on Friday afternoon. Several major issues were reported regarding the functioning of the facility, leading to the low scores and temporary suspension of the permit.
Restaurant Faces Permit Suspension, Charged with Repeat Violations
The temporary suspension of the permit was a result of a third consecutive violation of the same food code provision being reported in a routine inspection. The inspectors reported for a third time that the back door of the facility was not getting sealed properly and was not self-closing, posing the risk of pest entry.
The inspectors reinstated the permit after onsite training was given to the employees.
Another two cases of consecutive violations were observed at the restaurant. There were open employee drinks found in food prep areas and an employee was seen drinking from an uncovered cup.
A lid was placed on the cup and then moved to a designated employee area. The report also mentioned improper cold holding temperatures after four large containers of rice stored at 45°F, and cut tomatoes stored at 42°F, both above the required 41°F limit. These items were discarded.
Other Issues with Food Storage, Hygiene, and Upkeep
Cases of improper raw food storage were noted. Raw chicken was seen stored above raw ground beef in the prep cooler, and washed onions and peppers were seen stored above unwashed vegetables in the reach-in cooler. The inspectors instructed the employees to rearrange the coolers.
Wings under time control were missing start or end times labels. They were reheated to 165°F, and time control was restarted with proper labeling.
Furthermore, heavy buildup was observed on the soda nozzles and the microwave. The Nozzles and microwave were cleaned and sanitized.
The report stated that the facility also had multiple holes in the ceiling. There were also cracked tiles and exposed concrete on the floor.
Personal items of employees were found in food prep areas. The items were moved to a designated employee area, following their instructions.
PIC Held Responsible
The multiple risk factor violations mentioned above that were observed during Friday’s inspection, this was a result of an overall lack of active managerial control, the report said. “It is the responsibility of the person in charge to ensure compliance with the food code by demonstrating active managerial control within their facility,” to quote the report.
Follow-up Inspection Soon
The follow-up in the restaurant will happen within 10 days, as per the report. An additional required inspection will happen in 12 months as well.
The report warned the restaurant that all the uncorrected violations must be corrected before that, failing which its permit may be suspended. If the restaurant scores unsatisfactorily two consecutive times, it will result in permit suspension. Three or more consecutive violations will also result in the suspension. The full report is available here.
A total of 29 routine and 1 follow-up health inspections at restaurants was conducted on March 7 by the Gwinnett, Newton & Rockdale County Health Departments. Among the restaurants, 23 or 76.67% were awarded an A grade. Five or 16.67% got a B grade and one or 3.33% got the C grade.
