Five Lexington County restaurants received a C, the lowest Food Grade given out by the state Department of Health and Environmental Control, during the month of September.

The restaurants are located in Columbia, West Columbia, Lexington and Batesburg-Leesville.

Burnin 99 Korean BBQ Hotpot, located at 1150 Bower Pkwy in Columbia, received a C (68%) on a routine inspection conducted Sept. 15.

The restaurant was able to improve to an A (99%) on a follow-up conducted Sept. 18.

The report noted improper cleaning procedures and employees cutting vegetables and fruits with bare hands. Also observed were unprotected buffet sauces, buffet pans being washed and rinsed with the sanitation step being skipped, fly-strips over food prep areas and the back door of the facility being left open.

The Sept. 18 report only noted bulk food container labels without a common name label.

Konnichiwa of Lexington, located at 5086 Sunset Blvd., received a C (70%) on a routine inspection conducted Sept. 11.

The restaurant was able to improve to an A (100%) on a follow-up conducted Sept. 20.

The Sept. 11 report noted employees “taking trash out and then proceed[ing] to touch clean dish” and “employee drop[ing] wooden dish on floor and proceed[ing] to prepare food dishes.”

The report also observed an employee handling raw crab meat with bare hands in the sushi area. Improper storage of raw meat was observed along with a date-marking system not being found within the facility for refrigerated and ready-to-eat foods.

No violations were reported in the Sept. 20 report.

Taqueria, located at 152 N. Pine St. in Batesburg, received a C (72%) on a routine inspection conducted Sept. 12.

The restaurant was able to improve to an A (100%) on a follow-up conducted Sept. 22.

The Sept. 12 report noted employees washing hands without soap and washing hands in the three-compartment sink rather than the proper facilities and eggs found in unlabeled cartons, not indicating where they were from.

The report also noted that there was a lack of a date-marking system for refrigerated and ready-to-eat foods. Raw foods were observed thawing in standing water along with “uncovered raw chicken stored above uncovered raw beef and uncovered raw onions in a three door reach-in cooler.” and “repackaged raw meat stored in contact with repackaged ready to eat foods in chest freezer.”

No violations were noted in the Sept. 22 report.

Taqueria El Primo, located at 646 Sunset Blvd. in West Columbia, received a C (75%) on a routine inspection conducted Sept. 14.

The restaurant was able to improve to an A (98%) on a follow-up conducted Sept. 22.

The Sept. 14 report noted employees washing their hands without soap and an employee eating a tortilla with bare hands. Also noted was employees storing dishes as clean after washing and rinsing without sanitizing.

The facility was also docked for lacking a date-marking system for refrigerated and ready-to-eat foods, and pesticides were noted throughout the facility.

The Sept. 22 report only reports black build-up being observed on a cutting board.

Senor Burrito, located at 1618 Airport Blvd. in West Columbia, received a B (85%) on a routine inspection conducted Sept. 22. The restaurant was downgraded to a C (94%) on a follow-up inspection conducted Sept. 29.

As of Oct. 9, the restaurant hadn’t received a follow-up inspection.

The Sept. 22 report noted an employee handling tortillas barehanded, hand sink being blocked with chemicals and scrubbing pads, and a sanitizer kit not being available at the time of inspection.

The Sept. 29 report noted improper holding temperature and incorrect chemical tests kits for in-use sanitizer.