Sunday, May 03, 2009
Food, Reviews, Atlanta
I smell a rat
Surprise health inspections on Atlanta-area restaurants resulted in some terrible scores
APRIL SCORECARD
Worst Scores
Quality Inn Restaurant: 24 points (U)
235 South Dixie Ave., Cartersville
Problem Areas: Chicken and mashed potatoes were at unsafe temperatures. Plus, sour cream and carrots were spoiled, and there were rat droppings in the storage area. The report also said rodents chewed holes in packets of ketchup.
As of press time, no reinspection score was available.
Chef King: 31 points (U)
1307 Johnson Ferry Road, Marietta
Problem Areas: An employee wiped a dirty spatula on his or her pants and then used the spatula as a rice scoop. Plus, egg rolls were observed cooling in cardboard boxes near the bathroom.
Chef King received 88 points and a B on a reinspection.
Tacos N Subs: 38 points (U)
4 North Tennessee St., Cartersville
Problem Areas: Ground beef, cheese and tomatoes were at unsafe temperatures. Plus, there was expired milk in the restaurant and multiple employees were seen touching ready-to-eat food.
Tacos N Subs received 89 points and a B on a reinspection.
Best Scores
Steak ‘n Shake: 100 points (A)
3396 Cobb Parkway, Atlanta
California Pizza Kitchen: 96 points (A)
5173 Peachtree Parkway, Norcross
Houston’s: 94 points (A)
2166 Peachtree Road, Atlanta
You would expect nothing less than quality at the Quality Inn Restaurant in Cartersville, but I discovered it was missing that key ingredient during its last surprise inspection. The Quality Inn Restaurant received the lowest score this year, with just 24 points. So what does that mean to you? Well, the worst score in state history is a 13, and the best is 100. Let’s just say if the Quality Inn Restaurant would like to live up to its name, it should at least receive a score in the 90s. Unfortunately, I found three restaurants this month with extremely low health scores.
The Quality Inn Restaurant on South Dixie Avenue in Bartow County scored a U and only 24 points. The report says rats chewed holes in packets of ketchup. I confronted the manager at the hotel restaurant about the rodent problem, and she said she’s never seen any rats. In Marietta, Chef King on Johnson Ferry Road struggled with a U and 31 points. The report says an employee wiped a dirty spatula on his or her pants and then used the spatula as a rice scoop. Chef King received a B and 88 points on a reinspection.
Here’s some more food for thought: Tacos N Subs on North Tennessee Street in Bartow County claims to be the place to eat in Cartersville. That is, if you don’t mind that they failed their last surprise inspection with a U and 38 points. The report says that multiple employees were seen touching ready-to-eat food. I questioned the owner about the violations, and he told me his employees always wear gloves when handling food. Tacos N Subs received a B and 89 points on a reinspection. SP
Watch Adam Murphy’s CBS 46 Restaurant Report Card Fridays at 11 p.m. and Mondays at noon and 4 p.m. You can also catch all of his reports in streaming video at www.cbs46.com.