Flies in coolers, bad clams & more: Latest Myrtle Beach restaurant inspections
South Carolina Department of Agriculture inspectors observed black flies in a cooler, employees not washing their hands and dead or dying clams in the most recent health and safety inspections around the Myrtle Beach area.
In general, SCDA gives restaurants scoring between 88 and 100 points A grades, restaurants scoring 78-87 points B grades and restaurants scoring 77 points or fewer C grades.
However, the department sometimes lowers grades for restaurants that have consecutive violations, are under enforcement action or are under pending enforcement actions, including imminent health hazards, permit suspensions or permit revocations.
Of the 243 restaurant inspections conducted in Horry and Georgetown County between Sept. 19 and Oct. 1, SCDA gave six facilities B grades and three facilities C grades. However, only three of those establishments actually scored below 88 points. Here’s what inspectors found.
4640 U.S. 701 N., Conway, SC 29526
Score: 70
In a Sept. 26 inspection of Freshwater Fish Company, the inspector observed employees put on gloves and change tasks without washing their hands, encrusted food and grime on utensils in the fish-cutting area, clams without tags marked with the last date of sale or use and open shellstock clams in a clam bag, “which indicates product is dead or dying.”
Other violations included cooked crab shells being reused and stuffed with deviled crab, rice and cooked foods stored without dates marked for safe consumption, boiled eggs and smoked sausage with dates marked to Sept. 5, foods held at insufficiently cold temperatures, improperly cooled potatoes and bags of raw chicken, raw fish and sausage stored in a box together.
The inspection report also notes an accumulation of grease and debris on floors around equipment, the fish-cutting area’s ceiling in poor condition, water turned off at the kitchen hand sink, the mop sink used for pot and pan storage, no soap at the fish-cutting hand sink and coolers added without SCDA approval.
However, in a follow-up inspection on Oct. 1, Freshwater Fish Company scored 97 points and an A grade.
3570 Northgate Dr., Myrtle Beach, SC 29588
Score: 75
A routine inspection of China Garden on Sept. 25 found several violations, including employees rinsing their hands without using soap, an employee cooking egg rolls and storing them in the lid of a raw chicken box, and foods like chicken and noodles without dates marked for safe consumption.
The inspector also observed improperly thawed raw meat, a garlic and oil mixture at an insufficiently cold temperature, a screen door that didn’t close automatically — which the SCDA considers a risk for pests, access to the kitchen hand sink blocked by shelves and boxes, a hole in the kitchen ceiling, an accumulation of debris under shelves in the walk-in freezer and under the mixer, and grease and grime built up on the wok stove and shelves.
A follow-up inspection is to be conducted on or before Oct. 5, but a subsequent report isn’t publicly available yet.
4359 U.S. 17 Business, Murrells Inlet, SC 29576
Score: 83
After a routine inspection of Sweet T’s Jam on Oct. 1, the food truck voluntarily closed due to lack of working refrigeration. The tall reach-in cooler wasn’t adequately cold and the working prep cooler couldn’t hold all the cold food. The inspector observed foods like cole slaw and chicken marinade at insufficiently cold temperatures.
The inspection report also notes black flies in the food truck and reach-in coolers, oxtail held at an insufficiently hot temperature, foods like cooked meats and rice without dates marked for safe consumption, to-go containers that weren’t inverted and a magnetic screen door, instead of a door, which SCDA considers a risk for pests.
A follow-up inspection is to be conducted on or before Oct. 11, but a subsequent inspection report hasn’t been made publicly available.