Beaufort County food workers seen prepping food without washing hands, DHEC reports say
Six Beaufort County food businesses were cited with “B” grades in April health inspections by the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control:
El Don Juan, 1 Matthews Court, Suite C, on Hilton Head, scored a 79% (B) on April 9 in a routine inspection. Issues noted by inspectors included: Lack of sanitizer in the three-compartment sink; issues with cold-food holding temperatures in the walk-in cooler and meat case; repackaged cheese not properly labeled; grill and oven cleaning chemical and towels wet with the same chemical stored above and in contact with the clean dish drainboard of the three-compartment sink; wet and soiled wiping cloths stored on cutting boards; a cup without a handle being used as a scoop in salsa; self-service silverware stored in a manner that exposes it to contamination by hands; a cutting board with deep pits that are no longer easily cleanable; and the unisex restroom without a covered receptacle.
The restaurant was reinspected on April 19 and scored a 100% (A).
Jade Garden, 1304 Fording Island Road #K in Bluffton, scored a 79 % (B) on April 11 in a routine inspection. Issues noted by inspectors included: Only cold water at the hand-washing sink next to cooking line; a scouring pad in the basin of the sushi area hand-washing sink; no soap at the hand-washing sink; food stored in reach-in coolers uncovered and placed on top of other containers of uncovered food; knives being stored with a heavy accumulation of dried food debris and black organic matter; food in the reach-in cooler not labeled with proper dates; in-use hand spray and pump spray bottles containing chemicals that are not labeled or easily identifiable; chemicals stored with food on prep table bottom shelf and on the hibachi work station; an accumulation of wet and soiled wiping cloths stored on food prep tables; scoops without handles in food; in-use utensils stored improperly in standing water at sushi bar; wok appearing to be clean stored on floor directly under cooking station; prep bowls appearing to be clean stored on a shelf with an accumulation of dried on food debris; limescale build-up in dish machine; heavy accumulation of food debris and black organic matter on the walk-in and reach-in coolers; and floors and walls with a heavy accumulation of food debris and black organic matter throughout the facility.
The restaurant was reinspected on April 16 and scored a 100% (A).
Jersey Mike’s Subs, 272 Robert Smalls Parkway, Suite 340, in Beaufort scored an 81% (B) on April 19 in a routine inspection. Issues noted by inspectors included: Person in charge does not have a food handlers certificate; a food employee came into the kitchen to work from the outside without washing hands; a food employee touched money and then donned gloves to slice deli meat without washing hands; food employee with a longer thick beard preparing sandwiches without a beard guard; no soap at the front and back kitchen hand-washing sinks; open deli meat stored on soiled trays; trays slick with an accumulation of organic matter; unpackaged deli meats exposed to dripping condensation from the display cooler; prep sink not properly sealed to the wall; and tracks, gaskets and compressor area of the meat case with a heavy accumulation of organic matter, dust and grime.
The restaurant was reinspected on April 29 and scored a 100% (A).
Lowcountry Produce, 1919 Trask Parkway in Seabrook, scored an 82% (B) on April 23 in a routine inspection. Issues noted by inspectors included: Lack of sanitizer in the mechanical dishwasher; issues with proper cold-food holding temperatures in the walk-in cooler; facility does not have a date-marking system in place; working chemical spray bottle not labeled with common name of contents; chemicals and food stored on the same shelf; in-use utensils not properly stored; aluminum foil used as shelving liner in kitchen; cook line hand-washing sink not properly sealed to the wall; hood filters over the fryer and grill area with a heavy accumulation of grease build-up; reach-in cooler racks with an accumulation of food debris and black organic matter; and lighting too dim in the walk-in cooler.
The restaurant was reinspected on May 3 and scored a 100% (A).
Saigon Cafe, 1304 Fording Island Road in Bluffton, scored a 78% (B) on April 29 in a routine inspection. Issues noted by inspectors included: Person in charge does not have a food-handlers certificate; food handler intermittently worked with food and trash without washing hands between tasks; hand-washing sinks blocked by items in basin; food handler washed and stored food contact utensils as clean without performing a sanitizing step; issues with cold-food holding temperatures; facility does not have a date-marking system; back door was propped open; live cockroaches in kitchen; crock pot holding food under an active three-compartment sink; and untreated wooden shelving in the kitchen.
The restaurant had not been reinspected by press time. This story will be updated when the follow-up inspection report is available from DHEC.
Which Wich, 95 Town Drive in Bluffton, scored an 97% (B) on April 26 in a follow-up inspection. This normally would merit an A grade, but inspectors downgraded the restaurant because of failure to correct a violation from a routine inspection on April 16. The issue noted by inspectors: Lack of sanitizer at the three-compartment sink.
The restaurant was reinspected on May 3 and scored a 100% (A).
What the grades mean
Inspectors hand out a grade of A, B or C, depending on the conditions found at the time. Points are docked for a variety of infractions, and restaurants have a chance to correct the problems and improve their score.
A: 88% to 100%
B: 78% to 87%
C: 77% or less
During April 2024, DHEC recorded 174 inspections of restaurants, schools, stores and other food establishments in Beaufort County and 23 in Jasper County. The agency publishes the results of these health inspections on its website.
Newer food grade decals include a QR code that customers can scan with their phones to see a food establishment’s latest report.
