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Kitchen inspections, Sept. 9-22
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The following are among the food service establishments inspected from Sept. 9-22 by the Hall County Environmental Health Department. New rules and regulations for food service began on Dec. 1, 2007. Food service establishments will now be 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 will be conducted based on risk categorization. The risk type shall be 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 new rules are available at the Hall County Environmental health Office. The rules and regulations are also available online at health.state.ga.us/programs/envservices/index.asp.
To register a complaint against a food service establishment, contact the Hall County Environmental Health Department at 770-531-3973.

Sept. 9
Zaxby's
995 Riverside Drive, Gainesville
Score: 93, Grade: A
Repeat violation: Hand sink used for dumping garbage. Ice scoop stored with handle in ice. Gasket on upright freezer in cook area has damaged gaskets. Repeat violation: Dumpster open. Owners took up part of poured floor, but there is still standing water in most of kitchen; the rest of the poured floor is bubbling up and holding water underneath. Floor under grease container has food debris, trash and water.
Inspector: McDuffie

Sept. 10
Moe's Southwest Grill
333 Shallowford Road, Gainesville
Score: 91, Grade: A
Beans in walk-in cooler with temps 57 degrees.
Inspector: Black

Great American Grill
1735 Browns Bridge Road,
Gainesville
Score: 100, Grade: A
Inspector: Black

Autumn Breeze
2215 Old Hamilton Place,
Gainesville
Score: 98, Grade: A
Grease down sides of stove. Dust on shelves throughout kitchen. Food splatter on ceiling throughout kitchen.
Inspector: Black

Target Store, T-2387
5865 Spout Springs Road,
Flowery Branch
Score: 89, Grade: B
Food Avenue: A good cleaning is needed under self-serve soda dispensing area. Food Avenue: Pans used for specialty pizzas stored with food debris stuck to bottoms. Ice machine (maintained by Starbucks) needs baffle wiped with sanitized cloth; some mold growth in "grooves." Food Avenue: Hot dogs, cheese, chicken that was removed from a manufacturer's package needing and being labeled with date, but with incorrect numbering for seven days.
Inspector: Wentworth

Sept. 11
Morningside Assisted Living
2435 Limestone Parkway,
Gainesville
Score: 100, Grade: A
Inspector: McDuffie

Sept. 12
Dairy Queen
300 Shallowford Road, Gainesville
Score: 93, Grade: A
Cutting board has an accumulation of mold/mildew. Freezer has a buildup of ice on the ceiling, walls, shelves and packages of food. Cake freezers are iced over on some surfaces.
Inspector: McDuffie

Oodles
658B Dawsonville Highway, Gainesville
Score: 75, Grade: C
Employee putting on gloves without washing hands, Repeat violation: No paper towels at hand sink. Soda dispenser nozzles and ice machine baffle have a buildup of mold/mildew. Make-line cooler struggling to maintain required temperatures. Gaskets on make lines damaged and have an accumulation of food debris, mold and mildew. Floors have a heavy accumulation of grease, food, trash, water, etc.
Inspector: McDuffie

Great American Chocolate Chip
150 Pearl Nix Parkway, Gainesville
Score: 96, Grade: A
Cutting board and soft drink nozzles need a thorough cleaning.
Inspector: McDuffie

Five Guys Famous Burgers and Fries
658-A Dawsonville Highway, Gainesville
Score: 96, Grade: A
Hand sink had no soap.
Inspector: McDuffie

Smokehouse Catering
3205 Atlanta Highway, Gainesville
Score: 80, Grade: B
Large metal hotel pans full of pulled pork from cooked pork butts taken off pit previous night with temperatures of 55-57 degrees. Pulled pork in too large an amount to cool properly. Boxes of single-serve containers/cups on floor in front are dry storage. Repeat violation: Outside hose spigot without a backflow prevention device. Dumpster missing drain plug to prevent liquid from seeping out and insects/rodents entering Dumpster. Grease accumulated on ground around grease container, gravel area where liquids containing meat scraps have been dumped. Floors need a good sweeping in dry storage (both front area and larger dry storage room) because of accumulation of dust, dirt etc. Vinyl flooring wearing in front service area (in front of steam line) and in kitchen, exposing wood floors underneath. Wood baseboard throughout needs to be sealed at floor juncture and top of baseboard to prevent food/water/dirt from accumulating under/behind and becoming an attraction for insects/rodents. Repeat violation: Back swinging door is not tight fitting; gap around door has allowed for insect (fly) entry into kitchen.
Inspector: Wentworth

Sept. 16
Dylan's Place Inc.
3562 Thompson Bridge Road, Gainesville
Score: 81, Grade: B
Holding cooked onions next to the grill at 86 degrees. Floor tiles still need repair under and in front of cook line and under legs of make-line cooler. Repeat violation: Coved baseboard needs repair in kitchen next to freezer and needs to be installed at floor/wall juncture between dish machine. Hood vent above last two fryers needs to be cleaned. Make-line cooler gaskets need cleaning; accumulation of food debris in creases and gaskets cracked. Fryers need cleaning around wheels that have accumulated grease. Copper piping from compressor with condensate dripping close to stored onions in walk-in cooler. No consumer advisory posted for raw or undercooked foods served. Flies getting into kitchen via back door that does not shut tight. Door has self-closer, but is not always being allowed to shut tight. Door sweep damaged.
Inspector: Wentworth

Starbucks Coffee Co.
821 Dawsonville Highway,
Gainesville
Score: 99, Grade: A
Shelves in walk-in cooler and gaskets on make-line coolers need better cleaning.
Inspector: McDuffie

Monterrey Mexican Restaurant
5745 Old Winder Highway,
Braselton
Score: 97, Grade: A
Container of foods on floor in kitchen.
Inspector: Black

Asia Cafe
2888 Browns Bridge Road,
Gainesville
Score: 94, Grade: A
Foods stored uncovered in coolers. Knives, bowls, containers with food residue. Ice scoop being stored down in ice in ice machine. Floors with food residue and grease underneath grill area and dry storage shelf.
Inspector: Black

Lanier Career Center
2723 Tumbling Creek Road,
Gainesville
Score: 100, Grade: A
Inspector: McDuffie

Sept. 16
Taqueria La Fogata
5120 C Thompson Bridge Road, Murrayville
Score: 100, Grade: A
Inspector: Laurie Wentworth

Sept. 17
El Maguey Mexican Restaurant
2888 Browns Bridge Road,
Gainesville
Score: 96, Grade: A
Foods being prepared while sitting on floor in kitchen. Ceiling tiles need replacing over dish washing area.
Inspector: Black

Waffle House No. 1543
509 Dawsonville Highway,
Gainesville
Score: 95, Grade: A
Mold/mildew on soft drink dispenser nozzles; frying pans stored with food debris. Gaskets on cooler drawers and coolers have an accumulation of food debris.
Inspector: McDuffie

McDonald's
2105 Thompson Bridge Road, Gainesville
Score: 97, Grade: A
Pipes for Coke dispenser underneath self-service area leaking, requiring pans to hold water. Floors with a lot of debris beside drive-through drink machine and wall. Lights over self-service area are missing end caps.
Inspector: Black

Magic Dragon
130 John Morrow Parkway,
Gainesville
Score: 90, Grade: A
Foods being covered with cloth. Pans stacked on top of uncovered foods, allowing bottom of pan to touch foods below. Cloths used to wipe food-contact surfaces lying on counters. Rice ladles being stored in standing water. Homestyle refrigerator leaking water and make-line cooler struggling to maintain 41 degrees or below. Food/grease residue buildup on sides of fryers, grill. Roaches seen in kitchen, especially near dish machine area.
Inspector: Black

Wendy's Old Fashioned Hamburgers
416 Shallowford Road, Gainesville
Score: 88, Grade: B
Repeat violation: Ice machine baffle has mold/mildew; can opener stored with food debris. Thermometers missing in upright freezer and walk-in cooler. Washing hood vents in vegetable prep sink. Gaskets on coolers have a heavy accumulation of mold/mildew and food debris; most gaskets are damaged. Employee washing dishes and then briefly dipping them in sanitizer. Water in hand sink at 75 degrees F.
Inspector: McDuffie

Taqueria Los 2 Hermanos
1870 Atlanta Highway, Gainesville
Score: 67, Grade: U
Food handler not wearing gloves to put condiments (cheese, cilantro/onions) on ready-to-eat foods. Prewash sprayer leaking at three-compartment sink when faucet is off. Employee washed knife taken out of sink dirty without sanitizing before use. Knives stored on racks with dried food debris on blades, cradle for blade on slicer with accumulation of mold/mildew. Prep tables sticky with food residue. Table with rice cooker where plates are stored inverted is also sticky with food debris. Crate of cilantro touching water (condensate water) on shelf in walk-in cooler. Dry cloth being used to wipe knives from washing and hands between washing. Drywall behind freezer ripped/scarred and generally no longer a smooth, durable, easily cleanable surface. Metal flooring damaged in walk-in. Large package of frozen, vacuum-sealed meat being left out on prep table to thaw for later use. Back screen door does not seal the doorway. Roaches seen in kitchen. Foods prepared in house - meat dishes, refried beans - more than 24 hours ago without proper food marking. Refried beans, rice in cooker and marinated carrots in walk-in cooler with bowls, coffee cups used as scoops. Splash guard located between three-compartment sink (sanitizer compartment) and prep sink is missing and needs to be replaced to protect clean and sanitized utensils from the splash of washing vegetables. No chlorine test strips available to monitor the strength of sanitizer being used in three-compartment sink and cloth storage containers.
Inspector: Wentworth

Lyman Hall Elementary
2150 Memorial Park Road,
Gainesville
Score: 95, Grade: A
Scoops, ladle, squeeze bottle for dressings all stored with food residue on/in them. Walk-in cooler evaporator leaking from drain(s). One leak has a pan underneath, but the other is leaking onto boxes of cartons of juice stored underneath.
Inspector: Wentworth

Sept. 18
Subway No. 39661
3875 Mundy Mill Road, Oakwood
Score: 92, Grade: A
Soft drink dispenser nozzles have a buildup of mold/mildew. Repeat violation: Hand sink in front has an instant hot water heater installed, but no hot water. Floors need better cleaning, especially under shelving, in corners, and under equipment.
Inspector: McDuffie

Zaxby's
3718 Mundy Mill Road, Oakwood
Score: 94, Grade: A
Repeat violation: Thermometers missing from some coolers. Repeat violation: All gaskets (except one) are heavily damaged.
Inspector: McDuffie

Krystal's
3470 Mundy Mill Road, Oakwood
Score: 84, Grade: B
Repeat violation: Heavy accumulation of mold/mildew on soda dispensers. Repeat violation: Meters missing in some coolers. Employees drinking from water bottles. Gaskets on coolers have a buildup of mold/mildew and food debris; some gaskets are damaged. Repeat violation: Dumpster enclosure has trash and boxes all around Dumpster. Floors in kitchen area have dirt, trash, food debris, especially under equipment and around mop sink area.
Inspector: McDuffie

Sept. 19
Burger King
403 Pearl Nix Parkway, Gainesville
Score: 88, Grade: B
Repeat violation: Utensils on drying rack have dried food debris and residue and have been stored wet. Soft drink nozzles on all soft drink dispensers have a buildup of mold/mildew, as do the ice dispensers. Walk-in freezer has a frozen condensation problem. Thermometers missing in some coolers/freezers. Gaskets on coolers in cooking area have an accumulation of mold/mildew and food debris; some are damaged. Repeat violation: Grease container is leaking on surrounding area. Carpeting on floors of walk-in cooler and freezer. Cove and floor tiles broken and no longer grouted. Bulb in walk-in cooler not shielded.
Inspector: Kathleen McDuffie

Cafe N' Crepes
105 Bradford St., Gainesville
Score: 82, Grade: B
All coolers struggling to maintain required temperatures. Spray bottles not marked with contents. Cleaning cloths on counters, equipment. Gaskets on coolers have an accumulation of mold/mildew and food debris; some gaskets are damaged.
Inspector: McDuffie

Cafeine Coffee Cafe
P.O. Box 1358, Gainesville
Score: 100, Grade: A
Inspector: Donna Black

Sept. 22
Fini's Pizzeria, Inc
5857 Spout Springs Road,
Flowery Branch
Score: 100, Grade: A
Inspector: Wentworth

Linda's Country Harvest
726 Jesse Jewell Parkway,
Gainesville
Score: 91, Grade: A
Several utensils and pans with food residue. Cloths used to wipe food contact surfaces not being stored in sanitizer.
Inspector: Black

Smoothie King
890 Dawsonville Highway,
Gainesville
Score: 90, Grade: A
No soap at hand sink beside ice machine. Mold behind baffle in ice machine. Black grime collecting in standing water at bottom of ice scoop holder. Blenders flipped upside down with lids set on them between uses and outside bottoms have black grime buildup touching insides of lid. Repeat violation: Running water for ice cream scoops doesn't have enough velocity to flush food off scoops.
Inspector: Lydia Hoffman

Thai Dish
5911 Spout Springs Road,
Flowery Branch
Score: 69, Grade: U
Employee cutting lettuce bare-handed. Repeat violation: Hand washing sink not supplied with towels. Repeat violation: Foods stored uncovered. Repeat violation: Cutting boards have an accumulation of mold/mildew. Repeat violation: Cabbage and onions stored on floor. Repeat violation: Storage containers for customer silverware have a large accumulation of food debris. Employee wearing one glove to handle foods. Repeat violation: Gaskets on three-door coolers are shredded. Cooler interiors have a buildup of dirt, grease, food debris, and spilled liquids; cabbages stored uncovered on this surface. Ware washer not reaching required temperatures. Repeat violation: Floors have ground-in dirt, grease, trash, food, etc. Hood ventilation system is dripping grease onto cooking surfaces.
Inspector: McDuffie

Megan Gill