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The Midlands has plenty of great restaurants, but not every kitchen serves food in the cleanest conditions.
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The South Carolina Department of Agriculture finished its Midlands restaurant inspections for July, showing the restaurants with the worst food grades. Some restaurants were caught having unsanitary kitchens that could pose health risks for their customers.
The following Midlands restaurants had health inspection grades of C, which is the lowest achievable grade.
Ruby Tuesday at 1183 Knox Ave in Aiken
This Ruby Tuesday in Aiken had a restaurant inspection on July 20 and received a score of 70.
During the inspection, raw chicken was found inside a spinach artichoke dip stored in a prep cooler. Plates that were stored as clean still had heavy food residue buildup. Their soda stations had an excessive amount of residue and organic buildup inside the soda nozzles.
More than a dozen food items were found not stored at their required temperatures, risking bacterial growth. Several food items didn’t have date marks indicating when they need to be thrown out.
The inspector saw that there was no hand soap available at multiple sinks, and there were no hand-drying provisions at the bar hand sink. The kitchen floor was damaged with missing floor tiles, causing excessive residue buildup.
Ruby Tuesday had a follow-up inspection on July 30 and received a score of 88, but still ended up with a C grade.
Water-We Eatn’ at 1071 Longtown Rd in Kershaw
Water-We Eatn’ in Kershaw had a restaurant inspection on July 24 and received a score of 95, but still got a C grade due to consecutive violations.
There weren’t a lot of problems at this establishment, but they were severe enough to land it a C grade. The inspector found roach activity in the kitchen area, which was a consecutive violation. Additionally, the dish room door was open at the start of the inspection, allowing pests to enter the kitchen, which was another consecutive violation.
Several food items weren’t stored at their necessary temperatures, either.
DERBY at 1501 A Great Falls Hwy in Lancaster
DERBY in Lancaster had a restaurant inspection on July 15 and received a score of 75.
The inspector found personal food items and medicine on a counter during the inspection. An employee was caught not washing their hands. There were residential pesticides on the property.
The exterior door had air gaps, allowing pests to enter the kitchen. There was an excessive amount of fruit flies in the kitchen, and dead insects were scattered throughout the facility.
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Their dishwashing sink had white organic buildup, and the refrigerator’s interior had excessive debris.
NO 1 CHINA at 2329 Augusta Rd in Lexington
NO 1 CHINA had a restaurant inspection on July 9 and received a score of 70.
This establishment didn’t have a food handler certification at the time of the inspection, and several health policies weren’t available.
Cooks were seen handling clean dishes and equipment after touching raw chicken. A cook line employee was observed handling ready-to-eat rice with bare hands when transferring food into a container at the time of the inspection.
The facility used a cardboard box as a placeholder for ready-to-eat chicken. Open containers of raw food were stored close to each other. Many items didn’t have discard dates, and several foods weren’t stored at their correct temperatures.
NO 1 CHINA had a follow-up inspection on July 16 and received an A grade.
Mariscos Don Camaron at 1410 Augusta Rd Ste L in Lexington
Mariscos Don Camaron in Lexington had a restaurant inspection on July 6 and received a score of 70.
At the time of the inspection, produce was found stored with white and green organic growth. Several food items weren’t stored at their correct temperatures.
Gas-powered generators were stored inside an outside storage shipping container with food. The presence of flies and roaches were found during the inspection. The inspector saw sewage in front of the outdoor walk-in freezer, with a nuisance of flies harboring in the wastewater by the back door.
Mariscos Don Camaron had a follow-up inspection on July 22 and received an A grade.
Richland Healthy Cuisine at 9 Medical Park in Richland
Richland Healthy Cuisine in Richland had an inspection on July 29 and received a score of 73.
The inspector noticed an employee handle raw meat and then proceed to handle ready-to-eat foods without washing hands. The owner wiped counters, picked up items from the floor and didn’t wash hands after changing gloves. An employee scratched their face and continued to work with food without washing their hands.
The owner was caught cutting lettuce with their bare hands and grabbing bread without a hand wash. Several food items weren’t stored at their correct temperatures.
Richland Healthy Cuisine had a follow-up inspection on July 31 and received an A grade.
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