Bugs, food-covered walls found at Charlotte restaurant: Scores (June 13)

A west Charlotte restaurant received a “B” grade from the Mecklenburg County Health Department for numerous health violations, including the presence of insects and food on the walls.

Runaway Whiskey & Wine (2135 Thrift Rd. in Charlotte) received an 87% score during an inspection on Tuesday, June 10.

Inspectors cited the restaurant after they found “flying pests” inside of the restaurant, county documents show.

Other violations the restaurant was cited for include:

• Employee touching trash can then putting on gloves without washing hands

• No soap at handwashing sink

• Potato wedges, cooked root carrots and two containers of pork belly date kept past expiration date

• Build up on fronts and sides of equipment and insides of equipment such as dish machine, ice machine

• Food splash on walls and on siding attached to wall near dish machine

• Employee drink stored over retail items in walk-in cooler

This is the restaurant’s first “B” grade.

Mecklenburg County sanitation scores

The Mecklenburg County sanitation grades database shows that at least 137 restaurant inspections were completed June 6-12.

▪ 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.

Evan Moore

The Charlotte Observer

Evan Moore is a service journalism reporter for the Charlotte Observer. He grew up in Denver, North Carolina, where he previously worked as a reporter for the Denver Citizen, and is a UNC Charlotte graduate.