Chago’s Mexican Restaurant on Almaville Road in Smyrna was slapped with a 64 during a routine health inspection on June 24, 2026, a score that triggered an official follow-up and the embargo of 25 pounds of food. Inspectors cited multiple critical violations that they said needed immediate fixes, and the low mark puts the restaurant on Rutherford County’s radar for possible additional enforcement if problems are not verified as corrected.
What inspectors found
The inspection report lays out a laundry list of kitchen issues, some of them hard to ignore during a lunch rush. Inspectors reported a live cockroach near the kitchen entry and dirty wiping cloths left out instead of being stored in sanitizer buckets. The ice machine had visible build-up, and workers were seen handling clean dishes without washing their hands or changing gloves.
One kitchen hand sink had no soap available, and a cutting board used for raw chicken was washed and rinsed but never sanitized before being put back into service. Temperature checks raised more red flags: cooked rice in the walk-in cooler clocked in at about 46°F with no cooling logs to show how it had been handled, and cheese queso was sitting around 65°F, not exactly the kind of warmth health officials like to see.
Inspectors also documented cleaning chemicals stored next to ready-to-eat surfaces and noted walls and floors in poor repair, according to Rutherford Source.
How inspections work in Tennessee
The Tennessee Department of Health’s environmental health program is in charge of food service inspections, and those reports are public records that must be posted at the restaurant or provided on request. State rules require that priority violations be corrected during the inspection or within a timeframe set by the department, and they give officials the power to order closures or other control measures if they determine there is an imminent health hazard.
For more background on how inspections and public reporting work statewide, see the Tennessee Department of Health.
A bumpy recent record
Chago’s recent inspection history reads like a roller coaster, swinging from problem-heavy visits to strong rebounds. Rutherford County listings show that after a routine score of 70 on February 26, 2026, the restaurant pulled a 96 on a March 6 follow-up. Earlier reports from 2024 and 2025 ranged from the mid-60s to the high-90s.
For the June 24 inspection, county records note that inspectors required a follow-up within 10 days and embargoed 25 pounds of product during the visit, according to Rutherford Source.
What comes next
Under state rules, health officials can set specific deadlines for correcting priority violations, generally capped at ten calendar days. They may verify fixes during a re-inspection or, if they believe there is an imminent health hazard, order operations to stop until the situation is resolved. Repeated or serious failures can lead to suspension or revocation of a permit after due process, and the department can restrict or exclude employees suspected of spreading disease, in line with the department’s guidance.
Diners who want to see exactly what inspectors wrote up can ask the restaurant for the report or check public inspection listings on state and county portals. We will be watching for the follow-up score and any public notice of corrective action or enforcement.
