Myrtle Beach-area restaurants did not follow proper food safety procedures, reports say
This story was first made available to our subscribers. If you’re interested in supporting local journalism and receiving early access to our reporting, please consider a subscription.
Myrtle Beach area restaurants were not following proper food safety practices, causing the establishments to score low on recent inspections by the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control.
DHEC inspections are annually or quarterly, depending on the establishment’s food processes and compliance history, and are what DHEC calls a “snapshot in time” of employee behavior and preparation practices. Grades are on a 100-point scale, with letter grades A through C.
Here are reasons DHEC inspectors deducted points during inspections, according to inspection reports:
Tortas y Licuados La Poblanita, at 311 Highway 15 in Myrtle Beach, was handed an 82 percent grade during a routine inspection Oct. 25 and then received a perfect score during a follow-up inspection Wednesday, reports show.
In the routine inspection, the restaurant lost points after an employee was seen picking up tortillas off the grill with bare hands, uncooked tripe had been thawing in the sink overnight, and the restaurant was not following proper cooling time and temperature standards and proper cooling methods. The inspection report states cooked rice was stored in grocery bags in the cooler.
Pop Pop’s Pit BBQ, at 8724 Highway 707 in the Myrtle Beach area, scored a 79 percent in a routine inspection Oct. 25. Live roaches were seen inside the restaurant during the inspection, the report states. The restaurant was not following proper reheating procedures for holding hot foods or proper date-marking standards, the inspection report states.
Points were deducted because the restaurant was storing pork in containers on top of one another, and the containers were not covered, allowing the bottom of one container to sit directly on top of the pork, according to the report. Grease build-up was found by an inspector on cabinets, drawers, shelving and equipment in the facility.
Inspection reports can be searched by establishment online at https://apps.dhec.sc.gov/Environment/FoodGrades/.
This story was originally published October 31, 2019 at 10:11 AM.
