Dead insects. Fuzzy white growth. Expired foods. Worst SC Midlands March restaurant inspections

The Midlands have some amazing restaurants, but not every dining establishment meets the state’s health and safety standards.

The South Carolina Department of Agriculture completed its March restaurant health inspections and took note of the restaurants that received the worst scores. Between disgusting kitchens, unacceptable chemicals and dead insects, inspectors found dozens of SC restaurants that posed a health risk to paying customers.

The following Midland restaurants had health inspection grades of C, which is the lowest achievable grade:

Eastern Buffet at 190 Aiken Mall Drive in Aiken

Eastern Buffet had a restaurant inspection on March 27 and received a score of 70.

During the inspection, workers were found touching and cutting ready-to-eat food without washing their hands. Additionally, raw and ready-to-eat foods were stored side by side, increasing the risk of contamination. Dishes were also not being properly sanitized.

The kitchen’s freezer was in poor repair, and grease was not being disposed of properly.

Bodhi Thai Dining at 126 E Main St. in Lexington

Bodhi Thai Dining had an inspection on March 7 and received a score of 71.

Multiple containers of prepared food were filled with fuzzy white growth and were held inside the walk-in cooler. Dishes were not being properly sanitized in the dishwasher, and dishes with food residue were stored as clean.

Multiple foods and sauces were not being stored at their correct temperatures. Many foods were also stored past their discard date.

The kitchen was grimy and dusty, grease was building up around the kitchen equipment and unapproved pest control chemicals were stored in the back.

The restaurant had a follow-up inspection on March 17 and received an additional C grade.

Country Cupboard at 7801 Edmund Hwy in Lexington

Country Cupboard had an inspection on March 4 and received a score of 70

The health inspector found dead insects littered around the kitchen, and some doors lacked adequate seals to deter rodents and pests. Multiple sinks in the establishment could not provide cold or hot water, and in the back of the kitchen, there was no available hand cleanser or hand drying provision.

Dishes stored as clean were still contaminated with residue and food debris. Raw foods were stored well above their correct holding temperatures, and several foods were not correctly dated. Harsh chemicals were stored above soda syrup boxes.

Country Cupboard had three more follow-up inspections in March. Their latest inspection resulted in a C grade.

Attika at 4221-3 Hardscrabble Rd in Richland

Attika had an inspection on March 20 and received a score of 70.

During the inspection, employees were caught not washing their hands before changing tasks. The kitchen’s hand sink did not have any soap or drying provisions.

The restaurant could not inform the inspector where its desserts came from. Dishes stored as clean had grease residue remaining. Several cold and hot food items were not held at their correct temperatures.

There was also no date-marking system in place to date foods. Grease was dripping on the ground from the grease bin, and kitchen equipment had grease and food building up.

Attika had a follow-up inspection on March 27 and received a C grade, but also a score of 97, because priority violations from the first inspection were not fixed in time.

Bojangles at 7385 Two Notch Rd in Richland

Bojangles had an inspection on March 2 and received a score of 71.

During the inspection, the health inspector noticed employees not washing their hands before touching food. Additionally, food was seen touching surfaces with immense grease buildup.

Foods were not stored at their correct holding temperatures, and the soda fountain machine’s drain was turning brown from excessive drink build up.

Bojangles had a follow-up inspection on March 5 and received a C grade, but also a score of 87, because priority violations and consecutive violations were not fixed in time.

Sharon Grill at 3718 York St in York

Sharon Grill had an inspection on March 3 and received a score of 72.

Inspectors noticed employees wiping their faces and hair and continuing to cook without washing their hands. They were also caught touching ready-to-eat foods with their bare hands. Some sauces that were required to be refrigerated were stored outside the cooler.

Restricted pesticide was stored in the kitchen above the prep area. The kitchen’s ceiling was extremely dusty, ceiling tiles were missing or in poor condition and there was dust and debris in the walk-in cooler and freezer.

Sharon Grill had a follow-up inspection on March 5 and received a perfect score.