Dead Roaches, Bleeding Wound: What Kitchen Inspections Found

CORNELIUS, NC — Recent health inspections at Charlotte-metro restaurants found a variety of violations, from dead roaches on the kitchen floor and employee keys stored on a cutting board to an employee wearing gloves over an uncovered and bleeding wound while handling food.

Do you truly know how clean your favorite coffee shop or restaurant is? Find out with the most recent restaurant and food service inspections in Charlotte, Huntersville, Davidson, and elsewhere in Mecklenburg County, performed by the Mecklenburg County Health Department.

Here are the Cornelius restaurants inspected between Jan. 9 - Jan. 15, 2019, along with their scores:

• Bruegger’s Bagel Bakery, 20619 Torrence Chapel Road, Cornelius — 95.5/ A
• Fresh Chef, 20609 Torrence Chapel Road, Cornelius — 98/ A
• Mama’s Pizza Express of Cornelius, 19741 S. Main St., Cornelius — 99/A

County health officials recently inspected 85 restaurants in the Charlotte-metro area. Some of the lowest health grades found during those inspections were at:

• Golden Gate Express, 5708 North Sharon Amity Road, Charlotte — 90.5/ A
• Lancaster’s BBQ #102, 9230 Beatties Ford Road, Huntersville — 90/ A
• Pudina, 128 Brevard Court, Charlotte — 90/ A

A Jan. 14 inspection at Golden Gate Express found 10 violations, including an employee wearing a glove that covered a bleeding wound that had not been bandaged, and a set of keys belonging to an employee stored on a cutting board. The inspector also saw an employee wearing gloves to prepare food and wash dishes without changing them, before washing the gloves at a hand sink before returning to handling food. The inspector explained to the worker that “gloves cannot be washed like hands,” the inspection report said.

Nine violations were found at Lancaster’s BBQ in Huntersville, employees were seen using a thermometer without cleaning it before use or for storage, food held at improper temperatures that needed to be thrown out, a cracked plastic container and bread stored in store plastic bags.

A Jan. 15 inspection at Pudina documented 15 violations, including raw beef stored above ready to eat foods, an ice maker and slicer in need of cleaning, and two dead cockroaches in the basement kitchen.

Results from the Mecklenburg County Health Department inspections done Jan. 9 - Jan. 15, 2019 are listed below. You may look up your favorite restaurant or find more detailed information about this latest batch of inspections here.

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