Restaurant reinspections: One Mecklenburg spot keeps ‘B’ grade
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Three restaurants received B grades in May, but one was later upgraded.
- Red Lobster was reinspected May 27 and received an 87% score.
- NY Restaurant rose from 88% on May 12 to 96.5% on May 19.
Three Mecklenburg restaurants received a “B” grade in May– after an additional inspection, one is still a “B”.
NY Restaurant in Cornelius, Red Lobster in Pineville and El Tropico Restaurant in Charlotte all received “B” sanitation grades in May, The Charlotte Observer previously reported.
Red Lobster received another “B” upon reinspection, NY Restaurant bumped its grade back up to an “A”, and El Tropico has yet to be reinspected as of Monday, June 1, according to the Mecklenburg County Health Department Public Health Inspections database.
State law requires restaurants be inspected up to four times a year to make sure they meet safety standards.
In North Carolina, permits are immediately revoked if a restaurant scores below 70% according to state law.
Red Lobster
The Red Lobster was originally inspected on Monday, May 18, and received an 87.5%. The inspector documented food debris, grease, broken plumbing and a broken refrigerator, and more.
The restaurant was reinspected on Wednesday, May 27 and received an 87% – a drop of .5% from the first inspection. During the second inspection, an inspector documented food debris, grease, broken plumbing and a broken refrigerator, and more. The inspection noted a lack of hand soap the second time.
The Red Lobster is located at 9415 Pineville-Matthews Rd in Pineville. The seafood restaurant also received one “B” in 2024, but has otherwise received “A” grades.
NY Restaurant
During the original inspection on Tuesday, May 12, NY Restaurant received an 88%. The second inspection on Tuesday, May 19 yielded a 96.5%.
Documented violations during the May 12 inspection included unapproved pesticide, spiderwebs and incorrectly stored meat.
NY Restaurant is a Chinese restaurant located at 20121 N. Main St in Cornelius. The restaurant’s previous three inspections, completed in 2025, were all “A”s.
El Tropico Restaurant
As of June 1 afternoon, El Tropico has not been reinspected. The Mexican restaurant is located at 4335 N. Tryon St in Charlotte.
The 87% on Thursday, May 28 was the first grade below a 90% the restaurant has received. Documented issues included fire ant spray in the kitchen, flying pests and a dead pest on the floor.
Mecklenburg scores
The Mecklenburg County sanitation grades database shows that at least 470 restaurants were inspected in May. All other restaurants received an A grade, or a score of at least 90%.
The Charlotte Observer reports on Mecklenburg restaurant sanitation scores every week, unless no restaurants score lower than a 90%.
You can search restaurant inspections at public.cdpehs.com.
