A Forsyth County Indian restaurant has voluntarily closed its doors after a health inspection turned up flies on raw chicken, milk stored at 70 degrees, and moldy sinks throughout the kitchen. Hashtag India, located at 4090 Johns Creek Parkway, scored just 49 out of 100 during a Sept. 24 inspection — a number that falls well below the failing threshold of 70 points.
The inspection, conducted by a Georgia Department of Public Health inspector, documented more than a dozen violations, according to The Georgia Sun. Live flies were found on raw chicken, and the same pests turned up throughout both the kitchen and the front food service area, prompting Hashtag India to discard the affected chicken. Separately, City-Data's rendering of the inspection findings notes that inspectors also observed flies simply moving through the kitchen more broadly, a violation that predates the specific chicken discovery.
Temperature control appears to have been one of the inspection's central failures. Milk was found stored at 70 to 71 degrees, far above the 41-degree ceiling required for cold-held food, and chicken that had been cooling since 11:30 a.m. still measured 75 degrees by 3:54 p.m. that afternoon. A second batch of chicken, started around 1 p.m., registered 117 degrees at the same 3:54 p.m. check — nowhere near the 135-degree minimum for hot-held food — and rice and other hot items measured as low as 79 degrees. Hashtag India discarded both unsafe chicken batches as a result, per the same Georgia Sun account.
Cooling Problems and Missing Paperwork
Beyond the temperature failures, inspectors described a kitchen struggling to cool large volumes of food fast enough. According to City-Data's rendering of the inspection report, the facility was cooling large amounts of food in deep pans left out on countertops, and that cooling was not happening quickly enough to meet safety standards. Paneer was also found thawing in standing water measured at 72 degrees, and it, too, was discarded.
Recordkeeping problems compounded the temperature issues. Walk-in cooler food bore prep dates of Sept. 20, 21 and 23 but lacked the required discard dates, leading staff to throw that food out as well. Inspectors also found that dosas — made and fermented on-site, according to the person in charge — were being produced without the HACCP plan required for that type of process, a violation City-Data's report notes was addressed by discarding the dosas in question.
Sanitation and Sink Failures Throughout the Kitchen
The inspection also flagged widespread sanitation lapses. Sanitizer in the three-compartment sink and in sanitizer buckets failed to register at all on a test strip, according to City-Data's account, meaning surfaces and dishware may not have been properly disinfected. The three-compartment dish sink itself had a basin that could not hold water, while both a prep sink and a hand sink in the prep area were found with dark green-black mold-like growth inside them.
Hand-washing access was also compromised. A rear-door hand sink was blocked by rubber gloves, a scraper and partially consumed employee drinks, and a separate hand sink had been repurposed as a dump sink instead of its intended use. Inspectors noted that staff cleared both the blocked hand sink and the dump sink during the inspection itself. Elsewhere, dirty utensils awaiting washing were found stored directly on top of uncovered food, contaminating it; the person in charge discarded that food on the spot.
Pest Entry Points and Staff Protocols
The kitchen's exterior back door was found with gaps around its seams wide enough to let outside light through, creating an apparent entry point for pests. Inspectors also found that employees had not been told to report illness symptoms, and that no manager was present when the inspection began, though one arrived while it was underway. Managers reportedly had employees sign illness-reporting acknowledgment forms during the course of the inspection, according to the Georgia Sun's reporting.
Hashtag India agreed to close voluntarily until inspectors clear it to reopen, with the restaurant expected to remain shut until its walk-in cooler and dish sink are repaired. A food safety trainer is set to work with employees in person before that happens, and a follow-up inspection has been scheduled for Oct. 8.
Not the Restaurant's First High Mark
The score is a dramatic reversal for a restaurant that once posted a perfect 100 in March 2025 and an 85 in March 2026, before plunging to 49 this fall, per the Georgia Sun's review of its inspection history. The restaurant's grade of 49 falls under Georgia's system as a U, reserved for scores below the 70-point failing line.
Hashtag India is not the only Forsyth County restaurant to draw scrutiny recently. According to Forsyth County News, two county restaurants failed health inspections over the preceding two weeks, while several others were cited for violations and received B or C grades. Failing scores are not unheard of in the county's history either — WSB-TV reported that a chain restaurant in Forsyth County failed with a 36 back in 2017, citing violations that also included flies found on food.
