Sunday, August 31, 2008
Food

How low can you go?

Adam Murphy's Restaurant Report Card

JULY SCORECARD

WORST SCORES
Super Grand Buffet: 15 points (U)
1630 Pleasant Hill Road, Duluth
Problem Areas: An employee was preparing stuffed mushrooms with his or her bare hands. Plus, raw fruits and vegetables were not thoroughly washed to remove soil. Health inspectors also found three dead flies in the soup, which was being served to customers. Super Grand Buffet received 100 points and an A on a reinspection.

Mei Garden: 29 points (U)
3059 Lawrenceville Highway, Lawrenceville
Problem Areas: Clumps of pink and black mold were found in the ice machine, and a box of noodles, as we;; as fprtune cookies, were stored in the mop sink. Plus, food was being stored on the floor, and raw chicken was being prepared on a cutting board that was sitting on top of the trash can.
Mei Garden received 100 points and an A on a reinspection.

American Waffle: 35 points (U)
5870 Cumming Highway, Sugar Hill
Problem Areas: Sour cream was out of date, and mold was inside the container. There was also pink mold in the ice machine. Plus, shredded cheese, creamer and sliced tomatoes all were at unsafe temperatures.
American Waffle received 86 points and a B on a reinspection.
 
BEST SCORES
Doc Green’s: 100 points (A)
2609 Peachtree Parkway, Suwanee

Asian Chao: 99 points (A)
400 Barrett Parkway, Kennesaw

Garrison’s: 92 points (A)
4300 Paces Ferry Road, Atlanta

By Adam Murphy

If you like to dine out, you’ll want to pay close attention to this story. I found out just how low some Atlanta area restaurants can go on their health inspection scores. A popular Gwinnett County buffet received the second lowest score in state history a few weeks ago. Super Grand Buffet on Pleasant Hill Road failed with a U for unsatisfactory and 15 points. That’s two points away from the lowest score ever, which was a 13. Health inspectors took photographs of raw bloody meat sitting out on the counter. 

Oh, and did I mention that inspectors found three dead flies in the soup that was being served to customers? The health department temporarily shut down the restaurant, but I still confronted management about their score, and they quickly shoved us out the back door of the restaurant. Super Grand Buffet’s owner told us she fired the manager responsible for the failing score, and the restaurant received an A and 100 points on a reinspection.

I uncovered some other serious health violations in July that will also give you a stomach ache. In Lawrenceville, Mei Garden scored a U and only 29 points. The report says raw chicken was being prepared on a cutting board that was sitting on top of the trash can. Plus, there were clumps of pink and black mold in the ice machine. Mei Garden received 100 points and an A on a reinspection. Here’s some more food for thought: American Waffle on Cumming Highway in Sugar Hill struggled with only 35 points and a U. The report says there was mold in a sour cream container that was out of date. American Waffle received a B and 86 points on a reinspection. SP
Watch Adam Murphy’s CBS 46 Restaurant Report Card every Thursday at 11 p.m. and Fridays at noon and 4 p.m. You can also catch all of his reports in streaming video at www.cbs46.com.