Boiling cow head, rodent droppings: Conway area restaurants score low health grades

A cow head was boiling in a plastic grocery bag at a Mexican restaurant in the Conway area, according to a South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control inspection report.

The inspector could not find the “approved source” of the cow head cooking on the stove at Dona Tona Mexican Restaurant, at 3221 Highway 701 N., the report states. The restaurant violated DHEC’s “equipment, food and non-food-contact surfaces” standard for cooking the cow head in a plastic bag, according to the report.

The restaurant, scoring a 78 percent during a routine inspection March 6, also lost points during the inspection for not following proper cooling times and temperatures, proper hot-holding temperatures and had no date markings on deli ham, hot dogs, stewed tomatoes and salsas, the report says.

At another Conway area restaurant, an inspector found rodent droppings were in the back storage area of the restaurant, the inspection states. Jade Hibachi, at 201 Graduate Road, scored an 86 percent on a follow-up inspection March 5.

Dish washing liquid and a “heavily soiled wiping cloth” were stored on the prep table cutting board during the inspection, the report states. Grime, mold and grease build-up were found throughout the restaurant on shelves, cooking equipment and hand sink knobs, according to the report.

The inspector stated in the report the facility is “not properly cleaned and maintained to prevent the presence of” rodents and insects.

DHEC conducts inspections based on what it calls a “snapshot in time” of retail food establishments’ employee behavior and preparation practices. Inspectors visit restaurants for inspections annually or quarterly, depending on the establishment’s food processes and compliance history.

This story was originally published March 12, 2020 at 9:47 AM.