The South Carolina Department of Agriculture’s (SCDA) August restaurant inspections are complete, and three Beaufort County restaurants did not fare well.
Inspectors awarded one a B, another a C and suspended an ice cream shop’s food permit. SCDA inspectors conduct routine, unannounced inspections based on a restaurant’s risk level for food-borne illness. Restaurants are inspected either quarterly or annually, depending on their compliance history and food processes, according to the SCDA.
Inspectors award grades on a 100-point scale, with A grades above 87 points, B 78 points, and C less than 78 points. Restaurants lose points for violations of food safety regulations. Violations can result in fines, temporary closure or food permit suspension. Here are the restaurants that failed to make A grades in August.
La Nopalera Mexican Restaurant
Inspectors gave La Nopalera Mexican Restaurant at 1220 Ribaut Road in Beaufort a C grade with 74 points in an Aug. 5 inspection. Inspectors observed employees fail to wash their hands before handling food and a large presence of flies in the kitchen. They also found cut tomatoes in a cooler with white organic matter on them, dirty pans stored as clean, and food stored without expiration dates…