8 Lexington County Restaurants Received C Grades in August

Insects Noted at Multiple Restaurants

Posted 9/23/22

Eight Lexington County restaurants received a C, the lowest Food Grade given out following inspections by the state Department of Health and Environmental Control, in August.

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8 Lexington County Restaurants Received C Grades in August

Insects Noted at Multiple Restaurants

Posted

Eight Lexington County restaurants received a C, the lowest Food Grade given out following inspections by the state Department of Health and Environmental Control, in August. All have since risen to an A on subsequent inspections.

Five of the restaurants were in Columbia, two were in West Columbia and one was in Chapin.

Zorba’s of St. Andrews, located at 6169 St. Andrews Rd. in Columbia, received a B (and a score of 81%) on a routine inspection conducted July 25  that noted several priority violations. The report observes “employee switching between dirty to clean dishes without proper hand wash in between,” improper cold holding temperatures, prepared foods held without proper date marking, “garage style door open to outside areas allowing pest entry,” the lack of a test kit to measure hot water for high-temperature sanitizing and “grease, grime, and dust buildup on vents, floors, walls and equipment throughout kitchen [and] stained ceiling tiles in the kiten areas and dining areas.”

The restaurant received C grades on two follow-up inspections conducted Aug. 4 (82%) and 12 (91%). 

On Aug. 4, all of the prior violations were repeated (with flies being noted in the storage and dish area), and the restaurant was additionally cited for lack of proper documentation that some food was obtained from approved sources and improper cold holding temperatures.

On Aug. 11, three previous violations — the improper handwashing, prepared foods being held without proper marking and the lack of maintenance and cleanliness — were repeated.

The restaurant improved to an A (99%) on Aug. 23, though the maintenance and cleanliness violation was again repeated. It was again repeated on Aug. 31 (99%), though it is no longer listed as a priority violation.

Zorba’s of Chapin, located at 1250 Chapin Rd., received a B (78%) during a routine inspection on Aug. 15. The report lists priority violations, noting “employee not washing hands between glove changes,” “hand washing sink near dish line not in adequate operation” and the lack of soap and paper towels at hand sinks, “no wholesale approval information for desserts offered,” improper cooling times and temperatures for items such as chicken and ribs, improper cold holding temperatures, prepared foods held held without proper date marking, improper cooling methods and “grease and waste water from dumpster area on ground.”

The restaurant received a C (83%) on a Aug. 26 follow-up. All the priority violations were repeated except for the infraction for holding prepared food without proper marking. An additional priority violation was assessed for “roach activity on table and baseboards in bar dining section.”

An A (100%) was given on a Sept. 2 follow-up, which found no violations. 

The other Columbia restaurants in Lexington County to receive C grades last month were Miyo’s (1220 Bower Pkwy., Suite E-2), Tsumani (1290 Bower Pkwy.), Delhi Palace (542 St. Andres Rd.) and Waffle House (778 St. Andrews Rd.).

Miyo’s received a C (71%) on a routine inspection on Aug. 19. 

Priority violations noted include “employee not washing hands between points of contamination” and “employee handling raw product & move onto other task without proper handwash,” “handsink by 3 compartment sink blocked with dishes inside of it,” “employee rinsing single use gloves for reuse,” “employees manually washing dishes and stacking as clean without sanitizing,” improper cold holding temperatures, prepared foods held without proper date marking, and the presence of insects (roaches and pests in kitchen and storage areas and “an excessive amount” of dead roaches and insects in the kitchen and back of house).

Miyo’s received an A (100%) on an Aug. 24 follow-up, which found no violations.

Tsunami received a C (74%) on a routine inspection on Aug. 24.

Priority violations were noted, with the report observing “paper towels not available at hand washing station,” “storing food in heavily soiled container [and] dishes with food matter and splash stored as clean,” improper cold holding temperatures, and prepared food held without proper date marking.

Tsunami received an A (94%) on an Aug. 29 follow-up, with no priority violations.

Delhi Palace received a B (80%) on a routine inspection conducted Aug. 19.

Priority violations assessed included “fuzzy growth on produce and potato product in walk in cooler,” inadequate soup guard protecting soup area of buffet, prepared food held without proper date marking, dead roaches in multiple areas, and “grocery style bags used for direct food storage in reach in freezer.”

The restaurant received a C (93%) on an Aug. 26 follow-up inspection. The only priority violation repeated was the insect problem, with dead roaches noted throughout the facility and roach activity seen by multiple sinks, the wait station and prep area.

Delhi Palace received an A (100%) on an Aug. 31 follow-up, with no violations assessed.

The Waffle House location received a B (81%) on a routine inspection conducted Aug. 17.

Priority violations assessed noted “food employees not washing hands for at least twenty (20) seconds” and “employees not washing hands between points of contamination (between glove changes and after handling raw products before grabbing food contact surfaces),” improper sanitization of dishes, improper cold holding temperatures, prepared food held without proper date marking, eggs held over grill beyond indicated discard time, and a toxic substance (chlorine) used for cleaning/sanitizing.

The Waffle House received a C (88%) on an Aug. 23 follow-up. The violations for improper dish sanitization, improper cold holding temperatures and holding prepared foods without proper marking were repeated, and while it wasn’t a priority violation, black buildup was found on and around the dish area drain board and handwashing station.

The location received an A (100%) on an Aug. 31 follow-up, which found no violations.

The West Columbia restaurants that received C grades were Mercado Acapulco Market (103 N 12th St.) and Tacos Locos & Grill (103 N 12th St., Suite D). 

Mercado Acapulco received a C (72%) on a routine inspection conducted Aug. 9.

The business received multiple priority violations, with the report noting “fruit flies ... throughout facility, especially in front of the meat market,” “hand sink in meat market blocked with colander at start of inspection,” “facility is unable to provide documentation to verify the source of the catfish with intact head,” “shrimp stored above open cheeses in the display market cooler [and] shell eggs stored above heads of lettuce and other produce in the market reach in cooler,” “knifes hanging on wall above 3 compartment sink ... with food debris” and “facility is not date marking grease with carnitas in it.”

Mercado Acapulco received a C (88%) on an Aug. 19 follow-up. It was again cited for improper separation of food (“raw shell eggs stored above lettuce and tortillas in reach in cooler in the market”) and improper cleaning and sanitization of food-contact surfaces.

The business received an A (97%) on an Aug. 25 follow-up, with no priority violations assessed.

Tacos Locos received a C (75%) on a routine inspection conducted Aug. 25. Priority violations assessed noted “fly activity noted throughout kitchen [and] fruit flies noted in bar area,” “knifes with food debris stored as clean,” improper cooling temperatures and times, improper cooling methods, improper cold holding temperatures, prepared food held without proper date marking, “household pesticide in back prep area.”

The restaurant received an A (100%) on an Aug. 30 follow-up, receiving no violations.

lexington county restaurant grades, columbia dhec inspection, midlands food violations

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