South End restaurant, national chicken chain location hit with health code violations
A pair of popular restaurants -- both in the Charlotte area -- received a number of violations during health inspections performed by Mecklenburg County this month.
The Mad Greek, located at 5011 South Blvd., received a score of 77.5 while Wingstop, located at 6609 Monroe Rd. Ste 110, received a score of 87.5.
The Mad Greek received the most violations among the two, with 15 critical violations cited including:
Employees not washing hands between tasks
Employees touching ready-to-eat meat with bare hands
Dirty surfaces and equipment
Several meats being stored without dates marked
Meats not fully cooked being improperly stored for reheating during the next business day
Chris Limberakis, the owner of The Mad Greek, told The Charlotte Observer that the score is abnormally low in comparison to the restaurant’s consistent record of A’s and claims that the health department’s report is inaccurate.
“It’s all baloney. Everything. Baloney,” Limberakis said. “I’ve never had an issue. For forty-one years, has anybody got (food) poisoning in this place?”
According to the health department’s inspection management system, which only goes back a decade, The Mad Greek hasn’t scored below a 90 in the last 10 years, up until now.
The Mad Greek’s initial inspection took place on May 11 and the restaurant has not yet received an updated score from the health department.
Wingstop received four violations:
Employees improperly washing hands
Food debris in sinks
Unclean food handling equipment
Food stored and labeled improperly without proper expiration information
The Mad Greek, which serves Greek Mediterranean cuisine in the Charlotte area, currently has a 4.4 out of 5 customer rating, according a Google review. Wingstop, an aviation-themed wings chain, currently has a 3.4 out of 5 customer rating, among 638 reviews on Google.
Both restaurants have not received current scores since their most recent inspections.
This story was originally published May 31, 2022 at 12:28 PM.
