How lobster, mac and cheese contributed to a failing grade for a Bibb restaurant

A Bibb County restaurant received a failing grade during the most recent round of routine inspections by the Georgia Department of Health.

LongHorn Steaks of Macon No. 5027 at 3072 Riverside Drive was given “U” for “unsatisfactory compliance” after scoring a 63 during its routine inspection Feb. 22, according to the state’s DPH’s health inspection search portal.

A followup inspection is required after a restaurant receives a failing grade and generally happens within 10 days of the routine inspection.

LongHorn Steakhouse was reinspected Monday, earning an “A” with a score of 98. The restaurant had scored a 99 with an “A” grade during a routine inspection in March 2020.

The restaurant failed its February inspection based on multiple violations such as failing to discard lobster and mac and cheese by the discard date, according to the state DPH.

The health inspector “observed several ready-to-eat time/temperature control for food safety for food-disposition in which a pan of thaw pulled lobster with a prep date of 2/18 and discard date of 2/20 observed in unit as of 2/22.

The inspector also “observed several ready-to-eat time/temperature control for food safety for disposition in the reach in refrigerator along the cook/prep line and listed as follow: Observed more than (10)x steakhouse mac n cheese with prep date of 2/12 and discard date of 2/16 and prep date of 2/17 and discard date of 2/21 as of 2/22.”

Additional violations

Other violations included:

• Several items in the salad reach in prep cooler above the required 41 degrees or below. The items included individual prep salads, to-go salads and individually bagged baked potatoes with whipped butter.
• The inspector also observed a dishwasher who failed to wear gloves while cleaning dirty dishes to run through the dishwasher and picking up the cleaned dishes after the cycle completed without washing hands in between
• Did not have written documentation of temperature for key drop deliveries
• Several hot plates were stored underneath the heating lamp along the cooked prep line with food debris and residue presence on the food contact surfaces
• Several plates were stored on the front server counter as cleaned with food residue and debris presence on the food contact surfaces
• Several bags of broccoli were improperly stored in the bottom reach in the refrigerator along the cook/prep line sitting in a pool of water

Scores for other Bibb restaurants

Other Bibb County restaurants that had routine inspections from Feb. 1 to Feb. 28 scored “A’s” and “B’s” with a few earning perfect scores of 100. Those few include:

• Dog Gone It Anyway You Want It Dogs/Hank’s Food Truck base of operations at 3670 Eisenhower and mobile food truck.
• Taiwan Restaurant, 3896 Pio Nono Ave.
• Knight Food Truck, 100 University Parkway.
• Momma’s Gourmet Wings and More, 881 Wimbish Road.
• Graffiti’s Pizza - A Greek Taverna, 5577 Thomaston Road, Suite 500.
• Romo’s Pizza, 4123 Forsyth Drive, Suite H.

State health inspectors assign grades based on how many points are deducted from 100, with scores at 69 and below considered failing.

An “A” is given for a score between 90 to 100 and denotes “food safety excellence.” A score of 80 to 89 is considered “satisfactory compliance” for a grade of “B,” while a “C” is given for “marginal compliance” based on a score of 70-79. A “U” for “unsatisfactory compliance” is given when a restaurant scores 69 or less.