Fire ant spray, meat storage issues: Latest Charlotte restaurant inspections
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- El Tropico Restaurant in Charlotte received a B grade with an 87 score on May 28.
- Red Lobster in Pineville received a B grade with an 87 score on May 27.
- Mecklenburg inspections May 22–28 showed at least 95 restaurants were inspected.
Two Mecklenburg restaurants received “B” sanitation scores May 22-28.
El Tropico Restaurant in Charlotte got an 87% on Thursday, May 28. Red Lobster Restaurant in Pineville also received an 87% on Wednesday. May 27.
El Tropico
The restaurant is located at 4335 N. Tryon St in Charlotte.
Violations included:
- Person in charge had a lapsed food protection manager certification
- Meat stored incorrectly over produce and fries, outside of packaging
- Food debris on dishes stored as clean
- Foods cooled incorrectly
- Air flow issue causing an incorrect temperature in walk in
- Food without dates, with incorrect dates or past date
- Raid and fire ant spray for outdoor use in the kitchen
- Flying pests
- Dead pest on clean dish
This is El Tropico’s first “B” in the county inspections database.
Red Lobster
The restaurant is located at 9415 Pineville-Matthews Rd. in Pineville.
Violations included:
- No handwashing soap at a sink
- Leaking water from a fan in the walk-in cooler getting into food containers
- Food debris on utensils and containers stored as clean
- Incorrect food storage temperatures
- Food kept past expiration date
- Dishes stacked wet and dried improperly
- No thermometer to check temperature of sanitizing dishwasher
- Grease residue on storage equipment
- Broken sink plumbing
- Damaged floor tiles accumulating water
The Red Lobster was graded on May 18 and got an 87.5%, The Observer previously reported. Prior, the restaurant received one “B” in 2024.
Mecklenburg County sanitation scores
The Mecklenburg County sanitation grades database shows that at least 95 restaurants were inspected May 22-28. The other restaurants received an A grade, or a score of at least 90%.
In North Carolina, permits are immediately revoked if a restaurant scores below 70%. You can search restaurant inspections at public.cdpehs.com.
The Charlotte Observer reports restaurant sanitation scores lower than an A, and updates the public when B and C grade restaurants are graded again. The News & Observer previously covered the methodology of sanitation scores.
