Charlotte restaurant gets ‘B’ grade after inspectors find living quarters inside
A south Charlotte restaurant received a “B” grade from the Mecklenburg County Health Department for numerous health violations, including illegal living quarters and dirty dishes.
Hunan Express (901 N. Wendover Rd. in Charlotte) received an 88.5% score during an inspection on Monday, March 16.
Inspectors cited the restaurant after finding a cot in the restaurant’s dry storage area, along with employee items stored throughout, county documents show.
“A separate living space requires a separation of space achieved through partitioning,” the inspection report says.
Other violations the restaurant was cited for include:
- Employee meal on a prep top unit
- Raw shell eggs on top of box with employee beverages inside
- Several dishes with food debris and residue
- Bins of flour and seasoning missing labels
This is the restaurant’s first “B” grade.
Mecklenburg County sanitation scores
The Mecklenburg County sanitation grades database shows that at least 124 restaurant inspections were completed March 13-19.
▪ Most restaurants received an A grade, or a score of at least 90%.
▪ One restaurant received a B grade, or a score of at least 80% but lower than 90%.
How to search NC restaurant inspection scores
Sanitation scores and their corresponding letter grades are used in North Carolina to assess restaurants’ adherence to rules and standards intended to mitigate and prevent the spread of food-borne illnesses.
You’ve likely seen sanitation grade cards at restaurants you’ve visited, and The News & Observer previously explained what those scores mean and how they’re calculated. According to state law, permits are immediately revoked if a restaurant receives a score of less than 70%.
You can search all restaurant inspections in Mecklenburg County at public.cdpehs.com.
Most common restaurant violations
The Charlotte Observer previously spoke to Adam Dietrich, a local food safety expert, about five of the most common food safety violations restaurants get dinged for during health inspections:
- Handwashing lapses are common: Inspectors frequently cite workers for skipping required handwashing or recontaminating hands, a major risk for spreading illnesses like norovirus, Salmonella and E. coli.
- “Performative” glove use causes problems: Gloves are often misused, either by not changing them between tasks or worn instead of washing hands, which can spread bacteria just as easily as bare hands.
- 41°F is the cold-holding cutoff: The North Carolina Food Code requires cold foods to be held at 41 degrees or below, since bacteria multiply rapidly above that threshold and can reach dangerous levels within hours.
- Improper storage leads to cross-contamination: Limited space and poor organization can result in raw food juices dripping onto other foods, a known cause of outbreaks, prompting strict storage rules in the food code.
- Lack of food safety training costs points: Restaurants are often penalized for missing certifications or inadequate staff training in hygiene, allergens and safe food handling, issues experts say are preventable with proper education.
