Another ‘C’ grade in Durham: This week’s Triangle restaurant sanitation scores (Jan. 31)

Korie Dean
·4 min read

The News & Observer publishes a weekly roundup of restaurant sanitation scores to keep you up-to-date on the health grades at Triangle dining spots.

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 N&O previously explained what those scores mean and how they’re calculated.

Here are sanitation scores in Wake and Durham counties for the week of Jan. 24-31.

Wake County sanitation scores

The Wake County sanitation grades database shows that at least 100 inspections were completed between Jan. 24-31.

▪ 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%.

Sonic (109 Jones Franklin Rd., Raleigh) received a score of 88% during an inspection on Jan. 24.

  • The restaurant was in violation of 12 state standards, with point deductions ranging from zero to three points.

  • Violations included a manager eating on the food preparation table, equipment being “heavily soiled” and the nozzle on the iced tea container being “full of bumpy microbial growth that has accumulated in chunks.”

  • The restaurant previously scored a 94.5% in September 2022, a 95.5% in March 2022 and a 95% in September 2021.

▪ No restaurants in Wake County received a C grade, or a score of at least 70% but less than 80%.

▪ No restaurants received a failing grade, or a score below 70%.

You can search all restaurant inspections in Wake County at wake-nc.healthinspections.us.

Durham County sanitation scores

The Durham County inspection management system shows that 43 restaurant inspections were completed between Jan. 24-31.

▪ Most restaurants received an A grade.

▪ One restaurant received a B grade.

Yaya Tea (807 E. Main St., Suite 2-150, Durham) received a score of 86% during an inspection on Jan. 25.

  • The restaurant was in violation of 14 state standards, with point deductions ranging from zero to three points.

  • Violations included an employee handling ready-to-eat food with their bare hands, employees “cooking boba tea in a rice cooker in the dirty dish drainboards of” the three-compartment sink, a jug of bleach being stored with food items in the prep kitchen and employees cooking raw cabbage “in a hot water heater designed for beverages and designated” as a product for household use only.

  • Some violations were corrected during the inspection.

  • The restaurant previously scored a 96% in January 2022 and a 98% in May 2021.

▪ One restaurant received a C grade.

Restaurante y Taqueria Don Fily (2003 Holloway St., Durham) received a score of 70% during an inspection on Jan. 27.

  • The restaurant was in violation of 27 state standards, with point deductions ranging from zero to three points.

  • Violations included employees eating at food preparation tables, employees not washing their hands after cleaning tables, raw chicken and beef thawing and dripping onto cooked meats and “many live roaches crawling around in both restrooms and on the buffet line of the facility.”

  • Some violations were corrected during the inspection.

  • The restaurant previously scored a 73.5% in September 2022, an 82.5% in May 2022 and an 88% in December 2021.

▪ No restaurants received a failing grade.

You can search all restaurant inspections in Durham County at bit.ly/3pVQfpG.

Orange County sanitation scores

The Orange County inspection management system shows that 11 restaurants were inspected between Jan. 24-31.

▪ Most restaurants received an A grade.

▪ One restaurant received a B grade.

Gourmet Kingdom (301 E. Main St., Carrboro) received a score of 85% during an inspection on Jan. 27.

  • The restaurant was in violation of 17 state standards, with point deductions ranging from zero to two points.

  • Violations included ready-to-eat foods being stored with raw pork, ice machine parts having accumulated algae and “vegetation growing into the inside of the premises” due to a back screen door not being insect-proof.

  • Some violations were corrected during the inspection.

  • The restaurant previously scored an 85.5% and a 90% in October 2022, and a 92.5% in June 2022.

▪ No restaurants received a C grade.

▪ No restaurants received a failing grade.

You can search all restaurant inspections in Orange County at bit.ly/3eQqpxc.

Johnston County sanitation scores

The Johnston County sanitation inspections database shows that 24 restaurants were inspected between Jan. 24-31.

▪ All restaurants received an A grade.

You can search all restaurant inspections in Johnston County at johnston-nc.healthinspections.us.