The following are among the food service establishments inspected from Dec. 14-30 by the Hall County Environmental Health Department. Food service establishments are given a letter grade that coincides with a percentile: "A" (90-100), "B" (80-89), "C" (70-79), "U" 69 and below. Inspections (frequency of) a food service establishment are conducted based on risk categorization. The risk type is determined by the menu items served, the food preparation processed performed, and the previous food safety history in the food service establishment.
A new food service establishment that has never served food must score 100 (A) to receive a food service permit to operate. When a restaurant changes ownership, a new food service permit must be issued. To be issued a food service permit for a change of ownership, the establishment must score a 95 (A) or above with all Foodborne Illness Risk factors and Public Health Interventions in compliance. Permits must be posted in public view at all times. Food service establishments with drive-through windows will also be required to have the top one-third of a copy of the most current inspection report visible through each window allowing customers to easily read the score, date of inspection and establishment information, in addition to the copy posted inside the establishment. Copies of the rules are available at the Hall County Environmental health Office. The rules and regulations are also available online.
To register a complaint against a food service establishment, contact the Hall County Environmental Health Department at 770-531-3973.
Dec. 14
Family Cafe Chinese Restaurant
601 South Enota Drive, Gainesville
Score: 93, Grade: A
Chicken sitting in standing water. Cloths laying on counters. Aluminum foil on shelves and some shelves with duct tape.
Inspector: Donna Black
Taqueria Durango
1705 Cleveland Highway, Gainesville
Score: 91, Grade: A
Cloths left lying on counters. Shelf very rusty with holes underneath prep table. Several shelves in cooler with paint peeling. Leak in drain pipe at three-compartment sink. Grease container on grass. Damaged, missing ceiling tiles in dry storage.
Inspector: Black
Dec. 15
Brenda's Country Cafe
3003 Gillsville Highway, Gainesville
Score: 99, Grade: A
Oven sitting on new wood that is raw wood (legs).
Inspector: Black
Dec. 16
Papa's Pizza To Go
2988 Gillsville Highway, Gainesville
Score: 67, Grade: U
Person in-charge could not demonstrate knowledge of food safety and had multiple violations in critical areas. Hands not being properly washed in hand sink. Hands washed for less than 20 seconds and also washing hands in veggie sink. Slicer dirty with food debris, can opener dirty and utensils and pans were not washed, rinsed and sanitized properly. Coke diffusers soaked in too high of chlorine sanitizer per test strips. Chicken wings in make-line cooler were over seven days old. One bucket had no label. Toxic levels of chlorine used to clean diffusers. Precipate of chlorine on diffusers of Coke machine that were in use. Flour not labeled in bulk container below food prep table. Dough placed on food prep container with dirty can opener holder. Food employee wearing a watch and ring while preparing food. No hair restraint. Walk-in freezer not keeping freezing temperatures and floor inside peeling. Can opener had metal shavings. Shelves at storage and racks above make-line cooler are greasy and dusty. Pizza oven had food debris. Sink below coke machine dirty. Floor in restroom needs repaired drain due to cracked tile. Missing light shield above pizza oven. Light bulb in walk-in freezer not working.
Inspector: Shelby Finch
Dec. 17
Finis Pizzeria, Inc.
5857 Spout Springs Road, Suite A 306, Flowery Branch
Score: 81, Grade: B
Glove-changing without hand washing in-between. Food handler chopping grape tomatoes for salads without wearing gloves. Disposable cup of coffee with coffee lid in kitchen. No paper towels supplied at back hand sink. Container of soup (put directly into cooler after prep) too large to cool rapidly as required. Spoons and scoops stored with part of utensil that would touch food up for handling. Bowls stacked up wet for use in kitchen. Food handler washing gloved hands at sink. No lid on trash can in women's restroom.
Inspector: Laurie Wentworth
Oven House Pizza
3904 Winder Highway Suite B, Oakwood
Score: 93, Grade: A
Bag of ice for customers' drinks open and on floor in kitchen. Serving utensils, spatulas, whisks stored with food contact surface presented for handling. Floor/wall juncture in cooler with damaged baseboard (holes) or not sealed. Vent over dry storage shelving/pizza pan storage/salad prep area very dusty.
Inspector: Wentworth
Jus' Caterin' Baby!
5370 Friendship Road, Suite 1, Buford
Score: 97, Grade: A
Thawing lobster tails in sink designated for washing of fruits and vegetables only.
Inspector: Wentworth
Rebecca's Catering
3350 Shoreland Drive, Buford
Score: 100, Grade: A
Inspector: Wentworth
Fish Tales Lakeside Grille
6330 Mitchell St., Flowery Branch
Score: 93, Grade: A
Low temperature chemical sanitizing dish machine not dispensing any sanitizer in final rinse. No test strips available to monitor the strength of automatically dispensed sanitizer at three-compartment sink. Currently do not have mop sink in kitchen.
Inspector: Wentworth
Chick-fil-A at Robinson Crossing
3405 Atlanta Highway, Buford
Score: 94, Grade: A
Slicer had food debris between blades. Chicken cooler gaskets cracked and storing food residue.
Inspector: Finch
Vinny's New York Pizza and Grill
4977 Friendship Road, Suite 102, Buford
Score: 85, Grade: B
Small reach-in cooler not keeping required temperature of 41 degrees or below. Meatballs in large bucket cooled from last night in walk-in cooler not at required temperature of 41 degrees or below. Sanitizer solution not recommended concentration per state rules. Ice scoop handle laying in ice in ice machine. Single-use butter buckets reused for food storage. Small reach-in cooler drawer not closing properly on bottom. Wood board between freezers needs to be painted to make smooth and cleanable. Doors on freezers splattered and need cleaning. Cart with butter had dust, debris. Gaskets on coolers need thorough cleaning due to debris. Mold, mildew on wall at dishwasher area.
Inspector: Finch
Dec. 21
Zaxby's
995 Riverside Drive, Gainesville
Score: 91, Grade: A
Lemon slicer, pan and some containers had food debris. Chicken cut with knife wiped in sanitizing cloth and touched with gloves with sanitizer on item. Pans stacked wet. Gloves not removed before going from sanitizer bucket to preparing ready-to-eat food. Walk-in cooler ceiling sagging and drips water through rack. Walk-in freezer doorway racking and wood exposed.
Inspector: Finch
Toasted and Tapped, LLC
5603 Main St., Flowery Branch
Score: 87, Grade: B
Many foods items in four-door prep cooler uncovered. Slicer with large accumulation of dried food debris. Out-dated half gallons of buttermilk in three-door prep cooler, make line cooler and walk-in cooler. Condiments - bottles of ketchup, sugar packets - stored around "vanity top" of hand sink in bar. Sanitizer container set-up for cloths with cloths stored in it, but no measurable sanitizer level. Many wiping cloths out on prep surfaces. Clean linens piled on floor in wait station with wrapped packages unwrapped. Single-services items (boxes) on floor in back dry storage and wait station. No handles on doors of reach-in (three-door make-line) cooler. Top of three-door make-line cooler prep surface with holes that allow food, water to seep under top seal. Dish table at dishwasher with accumulation of food debris.
Inspector: Wentworth
Dec. 22
Gainesville Civic Center
830 Green St., Gainesville
Score: 98, Grade: A
Food debris underneath grill, on blinds, top of dish machine.
Inspector: Black
Dec. 28
Oriental Garden II
891 Dawsonville Highway Northwest, Gainesville
Score: 96, Grade: A
Drinks in kitchen not in single-service cup with straw and lid. Container of food sitting on top of hand sink.
Inspector: Black
Chatthoochee Golf Club
301 Tommy Aaron Drive, Gainesville
Score: 98, Grade: A
Racks inside cooler and inside oven need to be cleaned. Small amount of dust on ceiling over ice machine. Jackets and other personal items on table.
Inspector: Black
Dec. 29
Chef Wang Chinese Restaurant
275 Pearl Nix Parkway, Gainesville
Score: 89, Grade: B
Pealer and several knives with residue. Foods thawing in standing water. Cloths lying out on counters. Floors need better cleaning underneath grill area and at floor/wall junctures.
Inspector: Black
Monkey Joe's
2283 Browns Bridge Road, Gainesville
Score: 95, Grade: A
No certified food safety manager on staff. Jackets, lotion, etc. on shelves with food.
Inspector: Black
Dec. 30
Comfort Suites
1755 Browns Bridge Road, Gainesville
Score: 96, Grade: A
Several bowls in cabinets with food residue.
Inspector: Black
Mango's Bar and Grill
1736 Atlanta Highway, Gainesville
Score: 94, Grade: A
No soap in men's restroom and no paper towels at hand sink in kitchen. Utensils and shelves with food residue. Floors need to be cleaned better. Missing floor tiles in men's restroom.
Inspector: Black
Lauren Blais