Inspectors find expired food, roaches around sink in Beaufort County area restaurants

Lisa Wilson
·5 min read

Four Beaufort County food businesses were cited with “B” grades in March health inspections by the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control:

Island Bagel, 17 Sherrington Drive in Bluffton, scored a 91% (B) on March 14 in a followup inspection. This percentage normally would merit an A grade, but inspectors downgraded it because of the failure to correct issues cited in a report on March 4. Here are the issues listed: The hand-washing sink was blocked by equipment; the line prep cooler was unable to hold cold foods at the proper temperature; the facility was offering undercooked eggs without a safety advisory on its menu; and the unisex restroom did not have a covered receptacle.

Omni Hilton Head Ocean Resort, 23 Ocean Lane on Hilton Head Island, scored an 84% (B) on March 6 in a routine inspection. Issues noted by inspectors included: Shell stock tags were not marked for the last date sold; beef tenderloins were stored directly on top of raw fish; a pan of crab cakes and a pan of raw beef were stored directly above ready-to-eat salad items; there were issues with cold-food holding temperatures; multiple ready-to-eat foods were held past the seven-day discard date; the facility is reduced oxygen packaging for storage, cook/chill, and fermentation/pickling without prior approval; wet wiping cloths were being used as a cover and in direct contact with ready-to-eat salad lettuce; and there was a heavy accumulation of lime build-up in the mechanical ware washing machine and on the attached drain board.

Ryan’s Famous Pizza and Subs, 14 Savannah Highway, Suite 9, in Beaufort, scored an 83% (B) on March 26 in a routine inspection. Issues noted by inspectors included: An employee ate while prepping food; an employee had an unlidded beverage on the cookline; an employee used a cellphone and did not wash hands before working with food; an employee ate and did not wash hands before working with food; there were issues with cold food holding temperatures; unpasturized eggs were stored under the grill at 75 degrees; heat-treated chicken wings were stored in a manner subject to splash; onions were being stored directly on the floor subject to contamination and a cleaning broom was stored on top of a bag of raw onions; wet and soiled wiping clothes were not properly stored in sanitizer solution buckets; in-use utensils were stored in standing water not reaching 135 degrees; in-use utensils were stored in dry good storage without handles; and prep area shelves were lined with broken down cardboard instead of a cleanable surface.

The Drydock Seafood and Spirits, 840 William Hilton Pkwy. on Hilton Head Island, scored an 84% (B) on March 6 in a routine inspection. Issues noted by inspectors included: Shell stock tags were not marked for the last date sold; the mechanical dish machine did not have chlorine; utensils and equipment stored as clean were actually unclean to both sight and touch; food items were held past the seven-day mark for disposition; packages of raw beef were thawing on the counter at ambient temperature; the screen of kitchen back door is damaged, the kitchen door is not self closing and does not form a tight seal when closed; cutting boards on the hot line are deeply scored, stained and no longer easily cleanable; and floor tiles on the hot line were broken or missing.

In Jasper County, one restaurant was cited with a C grade:

Mini Super Del Pueblo, 7785 W. Main St. in Ridgeland, scored an 75% (C) on March 8 in a routine inspection that was the result of a public complaint. Issues noted by inspectors included: The back kitchen hand-washing sink did not have soap; the back prep room hand-washing sink and the kitchen hand-washing sink did not have paper towels; dishes were not being sanitized after the wash and rinse steps; there were issues with temperatures for reheating rice and for holding hot foods; multiple ready-to-eat items were missing dates or held past the date mark; propane gas tanks were improperly stored in the back prep kitchen; Raid insect spray that is only approved for home use was being used in the back prep kitchen; personal care items were stored on a kitchen shelf with food supplies; cleaning supplies were stored on the same shelves as food equipment and dry food boxes; the back door at the prep kitchen is not tight-fitting and does not have a working self-closing arm; a missing deadbolt was exposing the prep kitchen to the elements; cockroaches were in the back prep kitchen and around the three-compartment sink; employees were cutting heat-treated peppers and shredding and packaging bulk packages of cheese on the counter with multiple items like tissues, towels, food equipment and containers of food in the way; raw meat on a sheet pan and boxes of were food stored on the floor of the walk-in cooler; a cup without a handle was being used as a scoop in rice; the wall behind the three-compartment sink was decaying and not easily cleanable; ceiling tiles were cracked and sagging throughout the back kitchen; and light shields were missing and lighting was inadequate in the back kitchen prep area.

What the grades mean

Inspectors hand out a grade of A, B or C, depending on the conditions found at the time. Points are docked for a variety of infractions, and restaurants have a chance to correct the problems and improve their score.

  • A: 88% to 100%

  • B: 78% to 87%

  • C: 77% or less

During March 2024, DHEC recorded 168 inspections of restaurants, schools, stores and other food establishments in Beaufort County and 30 in Jasper County. The agency publishes the results of these health inspections on its website.

Newer food grade decals include a QR code that customers can scan with their phones to see a food establishment’s latest report.