By admin 
A Mauldin restaurant was closed for a day in August after failing an inspection due to various concerns including flies in the kitchen, food not labeled and a toilet not affixed to the floor.
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The South Carolina Department of Agriculture inspected 441 Greenville County restaurants for routine and revisits and 399 scored an A and 33 a B. Seven received the lowest grade given, a C.
Taqueria Restaurante Simon on Main Street in Mauldin was the restaurant that closed voluntarily. A restaurant must close if the score is less than 70. It scored 65 on Aug. 14 and 95 on Aug. 15.
During the routine visit the South Carolina Department of Agriculture inspector saw an employee wash their hands at the three-compartment sink, multiple vegetables in poor condition with visible growth, and cans dented at the seam.
A pan of salt and a pan of bread crumbs were stored on the bottom shelf of the prep table without cover and salsa and rice stored in coolers without cover.
Multiple dishes were stored with visible food debris, a can opener affixed to the prep table was not clean and rusted, an employee washed and rinsed a metal pan lid without sanitizing.
Food was at improper temperatures including salsa, pico, cheese, half and half, pastor, hot dogs, and cooked rice.
A package of roach gel bait was on a shelf above the prep cooler amid packages of food. A bottle of Clorox was on a shelf with stored cleaned dishes. Cans of Raid and Hot Shot for flying insects labeled for residential use and not for commercial use were in the facility.
A large tub of cooked beans with a tight-fit lid did not meet proper cooling temperature requirements.
There was no accurate food temperature measuring device because the batteries were dead.
A tub of white powder, a container of brown granules, and a bottle of liquid were not marked. The person in charge said they were sugar, bread crumbs, and oil.
The back door had open gaps at the bottom.
Several flying insects were in the kitchen, where there were fly traps.
An employee with long hair had no hair restraint. Utensils without handles were stored inside of salsa and salt containers.
Dishes were stored on shelving next to an unclean axe. Large bowls were stored on a clean dish rack instead of a self-draining rack to allow for air drying.
A plastic food container had a large chip and was not smooth for easy cleaning. The sink in the bathroom was not sealed to the wall and the toilet was not sealed to the floor.
Kitchen shelving was in disrepair and held together using plastic bags, cracked cover on food scale, prep cooler leaking at bottom portion of cooler, reach-in cooler leaking from top of cooler, and chest freezers with heavy ice accumulation.
Multiple nonfood contact surfaces had a buildup of food debris and soil residues (inside bottom of coolers, sides of equipment, nonfood contact portion of tortilla presses, plastic produce storage bins).
Kitchen ceiling tile above the reach-in coolers was warped and not maintained in good repair.
Litter and miscellaneous items were stored between storage shed and main building such as scrap particle board and metal sheets.
When the business was reinspected the inspector saw the gap at the back door had not been repaired, and there was a gap at the bottom of the front door.
The sink, toilet and ceiling tiles had not been repaired. Litter and miscellaneous items remained between the storage shed and main building.
La Reata (Seven Coronas LLC) scored 70 on Aug. 20. Located on Wade Hampton Boulevard in Taylors, the restaurant was cited for, among other things, that the person in charge did not demonstrate a knowledge of foodborne illness prevention and HACCP, a management system defined by Food and Drug Administration as addressing food safety through the analysis and control of biological, chemical, and physical hazards.
The inspector saw an employee filling a container with water at a designated hand sink that had no paper towels.
There was rotten squash, bell peppers and peppers in the walk-in cooler.
Raw beef was stored over raw shrimp in a reach-in cooler, where containers were stored on top of uncovered food. Chicken nuggets were placed next to raw beef in the reach-in freezer.
Containers of beans and sugar were uncovered.
Food debris was on knife blades and a dicer and organic matter had built up inside a soda nozzle at the bar.
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Salsa made the day before was in the walk-in cooler and some food was past its expiration date, including refried beans, cut greens, and cooked rice.
Cut tomatoes and shredded cheese were on a counter while employees were opening. Tortillas were stored in t–shirt bags.
Multiple cans of Raid were in the facility. A roach was seen.
Ice had built up on the freezer floor. Multiple cutting boards had deep grooves and scoring not allowing for proper cleaning and sanitizing. Food debris and grease was behind and between prep and cooking equipment. Food debris was on the gaskets of the reach-in cooler.
The air unit in the freezer had a heavy leak.
There was a build up of food debris and grime on the floor in the kitchen and walk-in cooler. The outside garbage receptacle door was open and there was a build up of garbage and a washer and dryer outside.
An inspection the next day resulted in a 96, an A. The air unit in the freezer had not been fixed and the garage receptacle door was open. The washer and dryer were still there and food debris and grime were on the floor in the kitchen and walk-in cooler.
La Especial Bakery No. 2 on Anderson Road in Greenville was inspected on Aug.17 and received a 73, a C.
The inspector saw employees washing hands in the food prep sink, no hand washing sign in the bathroom and eggs and frozen mango for sale without an invoice showing wholesale license.
Washing gloves were in the handwash sink, cutting boards used to cut meat were not cleaned every 4 hours according to the person in charge.
Under the prep table were pesticides not approved for commercial restaurants. Live cockroaches were in the facility.
Linens soiled with raw animal proteins were not stored in sanitizer solution at proper range. Floor tiles were broken and walls were not cleaned with a frequency to preclude buildup of debris.
There was a gap in the back door.
The restaurant scored 98 on Aug. 25, losing two points for a gap in the back door and dirty walls.
Coronados Mexican Restaurant in Greenville was inspected on Aug. 21 scored 86, a C.
“Observed two or more priority violations resulting from lack of managerial control,” the inspector wrote. “No certificate holder present during inspection.” Raw beef and chicken were at improper temperature, cooked beef, wings and soup had no date marking.
Frozen and raw chicken was stored on the floor.
The breaker box cover was off and exposed.
After re-inspection on Aug. 24, the restaurant earned an A with 98 points, No one present had a food handler certification.
Crate Restaurant and Wine Bar in Greer was inspected on Aug. 19 and received an 89, a C.
The person in charge did not demonstrate a knowledge of foodborne illness prevention.
Men’s and women’s restrooms and hand sinks had no drying provision. The kitchen warewashing machine was running without sanitizer.
An employee washed and rinsed equipment without sanitizer.
Two containers of noodles, shrimp, grits and brussels sprouts lacked date marking.
Charley’s Philly Steaks in Greenville was inspected on Aug. 6 and was given 92 points, but graded a C.
There was no one working who had a food handler’s certification, a consecutive violation.
Also, there was no soap at the handsink. Cooked chicken wings were cooling in a large plastic covered bin in the walk-in cooler and small prep cooler.
Inspected on Aug. 13, the restaurant scored 98, but still given a C. No one working had a food handler’s certification.
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The same thing happened on July 17 and July 27.