By DON DARE
6 On Your Side Reporter
KNOXVILLE (WATE) - A popular buffet and a fast food restaurant head the list of Knox County restaurants with low health inspection grades.
Generally, most local McDonald's franchises receive good health inspection reports. However this time...
Lowest Scoring Restaurants:
McDonald's at 4420 Western Avenue - Grade: 60
A score below 70 is considered unsanitary by the Knox County Health Department so this failed by 10 points.
A hand sink for employees was removed from the drive-thru area.
Dishes weren't being kept in the sanitizer long enough. They're supposed to be sanitized for at least one minute.
The inspector found toxic chemicals on top of the dishwasher. They should have been kept in a separate area of the kitchen.
A cook touched raw meat, but didn't wash his hands as he went on to handle food trays.
Oasis Buffet at 2011 N. Broadway - Grade: 65
This is a first for a Food for Thought report. The inspector found Listerine stored on a shelf with food products.
Chicken was found way out of temperature. It was 82 degrees, perfect for the rapid growth of bacteria.
An employee's soft drink was found on a food counter. It's okay for employees to have drinks, but the container should have had a lid on it with a straw to prevent the contents from accidentally splashing on food. This one didn't have either.
Passing but Critical Violations:
Full House at 3507 W. Emory Road - Grade: 71
Chicken was out of temperature. It was 70 degrees, but it should have been 41 or below, or heated to 140 and above to kill bacteria.
Three severely dented cans of soy sauce were found in the storage room. They were thrown away since the dents could have contaminated the contents.
The inspector wrote that the toilet in the men's room was dirty.
Highest Scores:
Froyoz at 5228 N. Broadway - 95
Keva Juice at 11015 Parkside Drive - 94
Bruster's Ice Cream at 7670 S. Northshore Drive - 93
TK's Cafe at 10415 Parkside Drive - 91
Wing Zone at 2121 Cumberland Avenue - 89
Petro's Chili and Chips at 7005 Kingston Pike - 89
Sergeant Pepperoni's at 4618 Kingston Pike - 89
Davinci's Pizza at 3337 Sutherland Avenue - 89
Several of these top scoring restaurants serve hundreds of customers every day. Their health inspection grades reflect staffs paying close attention to detail to assure your food is wholesome.
6 On Your Side reporter Don Dare reports on the latest restaurant inspections by the Knox County Health Department every Thursday on 6 News at 6:00.
