The following is a list of restaurants in Richmond County that were inspected Aug. 28 through Sept. 4, 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.
Harlem High School, 1070 Appling Harlem Hwy., Harlem
River Ridge Elementary, 4109 Mullikin Road, Evans
Stevens Creek Elementary, 3780 Evans To Locks, Augusta
Stallings Island Middle School, 3830 Blackstone Camp Road, Martinez
North Columbia Elementary School, 2874 Ray Owens Road, Appling
Riverside Elementary, 4431 Hardy McManus Road, Evans
T. Harry Garrett Elementary, 1100 Eisenhower Dr., Augusta
Best Western Plus, 1062 Claussen Road, Augusta
Drip Society, 3361 Braeswood Court, Augusta
Lamar-Milledge Elementary School, 510 Eve St., Augusta
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.
Wellstar Columbia County Medical Center, 5000 Gateway Blvd., Grovetown, 99
Monte Sano Elementary School, 2164 Richmond Ave., Augusta, 98
K's Buffalo Wings, 230 Sand Bar Ferry Road, Augusta, 98
Quality Inn And Suites, 2562 Center West Pkwy., Augusta, 97
Wheeless Road Elementary School, 2530 Wheeless Rd., Augusta, 96
K-Bop Street Food, 3328 Washington Road, Augusta, 93
Wingate, 2564 Center West Pkwy., Augusta, 91
Jukebox at Jadore, 830 Broad St., Augusta, 91
IHop, 4361 Washington Road, Evans, 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.
Longhorn Steakhouse, 434 Lewiston Road, Grovetown, 89
- Observed ice maker with mold-like buildup on the interior portion of the ice maker. Clean ice maker.
- Observed clean dishes with food buildup on them. Ensure dishes have food buildup washed off before sanitizing and placing them with the clean dishes.
- Observed pork ribs inside reach-in cooler being held past discard date. Food should be discarded on the discard date.
- Observed buildup on floors and equipment. Observed dishwasher with significant buildup. All equipment and floors should be cleaned often.
Smoothie King, 3970 Harper Franklin Ave., Augusta, 87
- Observed employees not properly washing hands after transitioning from non-food prep back to food prep. All employees should always wash hands when switching tasks.
- Observed sanitizer, glass cleaner, and bleach next to blender attachment on handwashing sink side panel. All toxic chemicals must be properly stored away from food and food contact surfaces.
K's Buffalo Wings (mobile), 230 Sand Bar Ferry Road, Augusta, 85
- Observed cooked wings and raw chicken stored at 43-47 degrees in reach-in cooler. Maintain food at 41 degrees or below in all coolers. Keep on ice baths in addition.
- Observed sauces and syrups stored in reach-in cooler and storage area without a common name label. Label all food when stored outside of its original container.
Twisted Tikka Pizza & Grill, 201 Shartom Dr., Augusta, 84
- Observed no employee health reporting agreements. Ensure each employee is trained on the health policy and procedures and signs an agreement. Have agreements for inspections.
- Observed no soap at the handwashing sinks. Ensure all handwashing sinks are fully supplied at all times.
- Observed no written procedures for responding to vomiting and diarrheal events. Develop written procedures for responding to vomiting and diarrheal events.
- Observed no sanitizer to properly wash, rinse, and sanitize dishes and food contact surfaces. Obtain a food-grade sanitizer to be able to properly wash, rinse, and sanitize dishes and food contact surfaces.
- Observed Raid for residential use stored on the chemical rack. Food service establishments may not use residential-use-only pest control products. Consult with a licensed pest control operator.
- Observed current health report not posted in the facility. Post the current inspection according to Department of Public Health food rules and regulations. Post within customer view. Keep posted at all times.
- Observed no "employee must wash hands" sign at the handwashing sink in the restroom. Post signage.
- Observed the scoops improperly stored inside diced chicken and cheese in the prep-top cooler. Then, store scoops/utensils with food; ensure they have a handle and the handle is above the food and the container.
- Observed no sanitizer test strips. Obtain the proper test strips for the sanitizer that will be used in the facility.
- Observed buildup on the bottom of the reach-in cooler. Clean the inside/bottom of the reach-in cooler. Increase cleaning frequency to limit buildup.
- Observed the mop sitting inside the mop bucket. Store mop hanging to air dry between uses.
- Observed buildup on the floors throughout the kitchen. Clean floors. Increase cleaning frequency to limit buildup.
- Observed an employee's drink sitting on the prep-top-cooler. Store all employee items in a designated area.
Tony's Express Restaurant, 4471 Columbia Road, Martinez, 75
- Observed employee switching tasks and prepping food without washing hands after mopping and sweeping. Employee was stopped and instructed to wash hands. Ensure employees know when to wash hands and the proper hand-washing procedures.
- Observed several food items stored uncovered throughout the kitchen and cold holding units (fish, egg rolls, crawfish, okra, mussels, broccoli). Cover all food items.
- Observed accumulation of grease on vent hood system in need of cleaning, and when in operation will drip onto food contact surfaces. Observed employee washing dishes in sink without proper sanitizer. Clean entire vent hood system thoroughly and routinely. Ensure all dishes are properly washed, rinsed, and sanitized.
- Observed fly trap hanging over food preparation area. Observed bag of rice stored on floor and food stored on floor in walk-in freezer. Ensure the fly trap is away from food and preparation areas, and all food items are stored off the floor.
- Observed employee working with food without proper hair restraint. Ensure employees wear proper hair restraints.
- Observed scoop with handle stored down in dry product. Don't store the handle in the product.
- Observed vent hood with grease buildup in need of cleaning, including floors, walls, and ceilings in all areas. Clean vent hood above grill and all areas.
- Observed insects flying throughout kitchen. Hire a pest control company to treat the establishment for insects throughout.
Augustino's, 2 Tenth St., Augusta, 64
- Observed person-in-charge not having active managerial control due to the multiple critical violations found throughout the kitchen. Person-in-charge must actively monitor food safety practices and ensure employees follow proper food handling procedures.
- Observed raw chicken stored next to seafood and raw pork loin stored above seafood in walk-in cooler. Observed raw chicken stored with raw pork chops in reach-in cooler in the front kitchen line. Store food based on minimum internal cooking temperatures.
- Observed French fries and sweet potato fries stored uncovered in reach-in cooler in the front kitchen line. Observed all food on ice baths stored uncovered when it wasn't being used in the front kitchen line. Cover all food when not in use.
- Observed black buildup on food rack in reach-in freezer in the front kitchen line. Observed black buildup in bulk ice machine. Observed clean dishes stored with mild food debris in ware washing area. Clean. Increase cleaning frequency.
- Observed diced ham and turkey sausage being held above 41 degrees on an ice bath in front of the kitchen. Ice was added. Monitor foods on ice baths. Maintain food at or below 41 degrees in all coolers.
- Observed multiple cooked foods stored without proper date marking throughout the kitchen. Use proper date marking when food is held over 24-hours. Label with prep and discard dates.
- Observed tuna salad with prep date of Aug. 19 held past the seven-day date mark. Discard.
- Observed buttermilk and lemon juice held past use-by dates of 8/18/26 and 8/27/26 in walk-in coolers. Discard. Monitor use-by dates and discard when appropriate.
- Observed mold-like substances on blackberries in the walk-in cooler and prep top cooler. Observed dented cans of peppers and pineapple juice. Discard. Monitor food's condition.
- Observed buildup of food debris on sides of fryer. Clean.
Ms. Hibachi, 3960 Harper Franklin Ave., Augusta, 60
- Observed employee scoop a cooked noodle into bowl with bare hand. Always use gloves when handling ready-to-eat food.
- Observed one hand sink blocked and hot water not working. Observed another hand sink with food remains and steel wool left in it. Keep hand sinks open and use them only for handwashing.
- Observed incorrect storage order (seafood next to lettuce and bacon, also above sauce) in all coolers. Store food according to minimum internal cooking temperature.
- Observed no sanitizer buckets in use. Have buckets of sanitizer on hand during operations to sanitize counters and utensils.
- Observed tongs and strainer being washed in a combined soap and chlorine bleach mixture, rinsing and placing them back in designated storage without performing the required separate 3-compartment sink sanitization step. Properly clean and sanitize all food contact surfaces (washing, rinsing, sanitizing, and air dry).
- Observed several foods out of temperature (beef, chicken, chicken wings, and white sauce). Maintain all food at 41 degrees and below in all coolers. Keep white sauce in cooler because it contains dairy.
- Observed chicken wings out of temperature. Maintain all foods at 135 degrees and above when hot holding.
- Observed employee wearing the same gloves to wash raw shrimp and then clean the 3-compartment sink without changing gloves or handwashing between tasks. Always wash hands and change gloves when switching tasks.
Jennifer Miller covers food and business for The Augusta Chronicle. She can be reached at JMiller@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on Augusta Chronicle: See why Augustino's got an 'F' on inspections | Health Scores
