Shelby County restaurants fail inspections for mold, unsafe food storage, hygiene lapses

Tommy’s Burger California Style on Park Avenue led the week’s trouble spots with a score of 73 after inspectors found raw chicken and shredded raw meat stored above tomatoes, dirty kitchen floors, buildup inside the ice machine, a missing current permit, a missing posted inspection report, and no employee health policy.

Other Memphis kitchens followed with their own sanitation lapses. Casablanca Grill on Poplar Avenue scored 76 and was cited for no soap or paper towels at handwashing sinks, dirty walls, floors and ceiling, uncovered food, employees drinking in the kitchen, and missing inspection and permit postings. Briza on Concourse Avenue scored 80 after inspectors found black and pink buildup in the ice machine, a phone stored next to onions, a worn cutting board, and raw beef kept over cooked shrimp. McDonald’s on South Front Street scored 83 and was cited for black buildup inside the ice machine, plus an employee handling raw burger patties without gloves and not washing hands.

The Shelby County Health Department says its Environmental Health and Food Safety Program is aimed at minimizing foodborne illness and responding to outbreaks, complaints and food-related emergencies. The department also tells diners to check restaurant inspection scores and look for certificates showing that kitchen managers have completed food-safety training, a reminder that posted paperwork is part of the front line for catching problems before they reach the dining room.

WREG rounds up the highest and lowest Shelby County inspection scores each week, and the latest list fits a pattern that has shown up repeatedly in recent inspections. Recent coverage found that the vast majority of inspected restaurants in Shelby County scored 90 and above, but a small number fell much lower. In March, four Shelby County restaurants scored 74 or lower, while two restaurants in DeSoto County, Mississippi, received a C grade under that state’s system, where a C means violations could not immediately be corrected.

For restaurant workers, these are the kinds of misses that cut across the whole shift: unsafe cold storage, dirty prep surfaces, weak handwashing setup and poor oversight all increase the risk of cross-contamination and can slow service when managers are forced to stop and reset a line. In kitchens already stretched by turnover and staffing pressure, the latest scores suggest training and supervision still are not holding at the level diners and workers need.