Charlotte-area diners have a new inspection report to chew on: Great Harvest Bread Co. in Matthews received a B score of 85 after inspectors found no thermometer in the facility, no soap at a hand sink and a slicer carrying food debris. The bakery was one of the latest Mecklenburg County establishments reviewed as health officials kept tabs on more than 140 restaurants. Most received A grades, but this one came with a checklist that went well beyond a missing piece of paperwork.
The Matthews bakery was inspected Thursday, according to The Charlotte Observer. The newspaper’s roundup says at least 143 Mecklenburg County restaurants were inspected in the latest listed batch, with establishments scoring at least 90% receiving A grades.
North Carolina’s food-safety rules place scores from 80% through 89.9% in the B range, while scores below 70% can trigger immediate permit revocation. The rules also require food establishments to have accurate temperature-measuring devices, making the missing thermometer more than a minor kitchen-gadget gripe.
What Inspectors Found At Great Harvest
Inspectors cited an employee preparing food without a hair restraint, no soap in the handwashing sink and no manager on site during the visit. They also found unlabeled soap and cleaner, unwashed produce stored over prepared lettuce, and a slicer soiled with food debris.
An 85 does not put the bakery below North Carolina’s minimum operating grade, but it does leave the location with several basic sanitation issues to correct. Mecklenburg County Environmental Health says residents can search restaurant inspection records through its public inspection database, including scores, inspection dates and violation details.
The latest score also fits a broader Charlotte inspection pattern. In June, the Charlotte Business Journal reported that 12 of 1,033 Mecklenburg County food establishments received B grades, including three mobile food operators whose permits were immediately suspended.
Earlier this summer, Hoodline reported on another B-grade kitchen after inspectors cited bare-hand contact with noodles, raw shrimp stored above ready-to-eat food and grimy dishwasher racks. Great Harvest’s report is less dramatic than that case, but missing soap, absent temperature controls and dirty food-contact equipment are still the kind of details that can turn a routine inspection into a very public reminder to keep the kitchen tight.
