Ants, gnats, flies drag down health score of failing Augusta restaurant

The following is a list of restaurants in Richmond County that were inspected Sept. 4-11, accompanied by their scores and, in some cases, the health infractions that lowered those scores. Scores below

70 are considered failing.

Disclaimer: On any given day, an establishment may have fewer or more violations than noted in its most recent inspection. An inspection conducted on any given day may not be representative of the overall, long-term conditions at the establishment. A few more recent follow-up inspections may not be included here.

Perfect scores

Here are the restaurants in Richmond and Columbia counties that passed with perfect scores in recent food service inspections.

Hyatt House Augusta, 1268 Broad St., Augusta

Cafe Sky Blue, 2430 Peach Orchard Road, Augusta

Bayvale Elementary School, 3309 Milledgeville Road, Augusta

Pizza Hut, 4431 Washington Road, Evans

Greenbrier High School, 5114 Riverwood Pkwy., Evans

Great Wall, 500 Fury's Ferry Road, Martinez

Martinez Elementary School, 213 Flowing Wells Road, Martinez

Evans High School, 455 Cox Road, Evans

Armando's Grill & Pizzeria, 5114 Wrightsboro Road, Grovetown

Lucy's Tacos, 5462 Columbia Road, Grovetown

Mason's Shaken Lemonade, 1040 Newmantown Road, Grovetown

The Crazy Pina, 7016 Evans Town Center Blvd., Evans

The Pink Shack, 7016 Evans Town Center Blvd., Grovetown

Getting warmer

Here are the restaurants in Richmond and Columbia counties that passed with "A" scores in recent food service inspections, followed by their scores.

Lake Forest Hills Elementary School, 3140 Lake Forest Dr., Augusta, 97

Meadowbrook Elementary School, 3630 Goldfinch Dr., Augusta, 97

Mellow Mushroom Pizza Bakers, 4348 Washington Road, Evans, 96

Augustino's, 2 Tenth St., Augusta, 96

Fou's Samoan BBQ, 7016 Evans Town Center Blvd., Grovetown, 96

KFC Evans, 516 N Belair Road, Evans, 96

Sonic Drive-In, 122 North Belair Road, Evans, 94

Residence Inn-Augusta, 1116 Marks Church Road, Augusta, 93

Taqueria Mi Rinconcito, 5114 Wrightsboro Road, Grovetown, 93

New China, 5112 Wrightsboro Road, Grovetown, 90

Waffle House, 101 SRP Drive, Evans, 90

Pule's Kitchen, 7016 Evans Town Center Blvd., Evans, 90

Waffle House, 3042 Washington Road, Augusta 90

Not quite there

Here are the restaurants in Richmond and Columbia counties that posted the lowest recent food service inspection scores, along with the inspectors' comments. Scores of 70 and below are considered failing. The comments are edited for length and content.

Vic's Grill Puerto Rican Cuisine, 7016 Evans Town Center Blvd., Evans, 89

Spray bottle in hand sink. Do not place anything in the hand sink.
Cleaning needed on gaskets on reach-in cooler, fryer sides, and hood filters.
Beard guard needs to be on while setting up and while in food prep area.

Formosa II, 3830 Washington Road, Martinez, 88

Observed cleaning and sanitizing needed on all shelves and cans in dry storage, hood filters, shelves along prep line, inside prep coolers, and on shelves and doors. Need to clean more often to prevent build-up. All food prep surfaces should be cleaned every four hours.
Cannot use foil or carpet on shelves in front wait station area. Must remove, then sand and paint the shelves or attach linoleum.
Clean all surfaces in the kitchen and front wait area, in all cabinets and shelves.
Need to replace flex piping at sinks with solid white PVC plumbing pipe.
Clean floors, especially under equipment.
Observed a live roach in the corner of the kitchen. Observed evidence of mice in dry storage. Pest company called during inspection to treat the store on 9/10/2026. Once treated, all surfaces must be cleaned and sanitized.

605 Island Guy, 7016 Evans Town Center Blvd., Evans, 87

Observed staff not actively washing their hands between switching tasks (ex: touching raw chicken then putting on gloves to finish preparing food). Ensure proper handwashing and know when to wash.
Observed TFSE without proper hand soap at the start of the inspection, and staff was already working with and prepping food. Ensure adequate hand soap is onsite at all times before food prep.

Wife Saver, 3318 Washington Road, Martinez, 70

Observed no handwashing soap and no paper towels at the handwashing sink in the kitchen. Ensure all handwashing sinks are fully supplied at all times.
Observed black buildup inside the bulk ice machine. Observed buildup inside and around the microwave. Clean the ice machine and the microwave. Increase cleaning frequency to limit buildup.
Observed chicken (50 degrees) and lima beans (43 degrees) cold-held above 41 degrees inside the holding units in the kitchen. Maintain all cold-held TCS/PHF's at 41 degrees or below at all times.
Observed greens hot-held at 109 degrees. Maintain all hot-held TCS/PHF's at 135 degrees or above at all times.
Observed no food service permit for the establishment. Obtain and post permit. Keep permit posted at all times.
Observed no food service permit for the establishment. Obtain and post permit. Keep permit posted at all times.
Observed a bowl left inside a container of breaded okra. When storing utensils/scoops with food, ensure the utensil/scoop has a handle, and the handle is above the food and the container.
Observed wet nesting of clean dishes. Allow dishes to properly air dry before being stacked.
Observed no test strips for the sanitizer being used. Obtain the proper test strips for the sanitizer being used.
Observed buildup on several cooking equipment and holding equipment throughout the kitchen. Clean all equipment. Increase cleaning frequency to limit buildup.
Observed standing water on floors, in broken tiles and inside the walk-in cooler. Clean up standing water throughout service. Check for and repair leaks.
Observed the drain plugs missing from both dumpsters used by the facility. Replace.
Observed buildup on the floors, walls, ceilings/vents throughout the kitchen. Clean all floors, walls, ceilings/vents. Increase cleaning frequency.
Observed employee drinks stored with customer food inside the reach-in cooler. Store all employee items in a designated area at all times.
Observed flies throughout the kitchen. Consult with a licensed pest control operator to get rid of flies.

A Town Wings, 3412 Mike Padgett Hwy., Augusta, 49

Observed no employee health reporting agreements. Obtain Department of Public Health agreements and have all employees sign.
Observed raw shrimp uncovered, stored next to ready-to-eat food items in front reach-in cooler. Follow proper storage order.
Observed raw shrimp stored uncovered in front reach-in cooler. Observed chicken wings stored uncovered in reach-in cooler below prep top cooler. Repeat violation. Cover all food in storage.
Observed excessive buildup on spouts of drink dispenser in dining area. Clean food contact surfaces regularly.
Observed diced onions left sitting in a chair at 67 degrees. Observed eggs left in a crate (delivered 9/7/2026) at 86 degrees. Repeat violation. Cold-hold food at 41 degrees or lower. Discard eggs, as WIC is not working and there is no place to cool them.
Observed improper cooling of shelled eggs left in a crate. Eggs should be discarded.
Observed two cans of Raid bug spray stored below three-compartment sink. Residential-use pesticide is not allowed in food service establishments. Contact a licensed pest control operator for pest issues.
Observed butter-like sauce stored in an old teriyaki bottle. Label all food stored outside its original packaging.
Observed walk-in cooler with an ambient temperature of 98 degrees and unable to be used. Observed inadequate storage space for proper cold-holding. Have WIC serviced ASAP.
Observed several sauces stored on the floor underneath the hand-washing sink. Store all food at least 6 inches or higher off the ground.
Observed most recent inspection posted inconspicuously behind counter and unable to be easily seen by patrons. Post inspection in plain, unobstructed view of patrons.
Observed scoops left stored in hot chili powder and sugar containers. Store scoops outside of food product itself.
Observed dust and food debris along countertops, floor, walls, and ceiling. Clean non-food contact surfaces.
Observed dining room not clean. Clean dining room and wipe down tables and chairs.
Observed live ant, gnat, and fly activity in both kitchen and dining room. Contact a licensed pest control operator for ant infestation ASAP. Determine a suitable method to deter flies and gnats from food prep and dining areas. Repeat violation.