KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — The breakfast, brunch and lunch eatery with the low inspection grade is in West Knoxville. A number of critical violations were checked off during the inspection.

The grade is a 71 at First Watch Cafe on Parkside Drive in Turkey Creek. That is a passing score. A grade of 69 and below is considered failing.

First Watch Cafe, 11682 Parkside Drive, Knoxville — Grade: 71, Follow-up Grade: 88

The inspector wrote that they watched employees returning from break, but forgot to wash their hands as they began to prepare food. When he checked, the inspector found build-up, that’s usually food particles, on a slicer and other pieces of kitchen equipment.

In the cooler, the sausage was at 50 degrees, but 41 and below is the safe cool temperature to slow bacteria growth. The inspector also wrote that they found bagged liquid eggs stored on the floor of the walk-in cooler.

In the refrigerator, the temperature of the fruit cups was 67 degrees. The inspector found out-of-date roast beef in the fridge. Since it has exceeded its freshness, the roast beef was thrown out.

Finally, the temperature of a unit holding cool food was 47 degrees, which exceeds the safe cool temperature. Also, no thermometer was found in that unit.

The inspector has returned to the First Watch Cafe, the one on Parkside Drive. All of the initial critical violations have been corrected, the new grade is an 88.

Food for ThoughtDownload

Last week, La Palma De Oro Mexican on Clinton Highway in North Knoxville failed its inspection with a grade of 60. The inspector returned and checked the original critical violations. The new score is 96.

There’s no need for any follow-up inspections at the top-scoring eateries. Here are the best grades of the week.

Top Scores of the Week

  • Zaxby’s, 2936 Miller Place Way, Knoxville — 100
  • Wendy’s, 7407 Strawberry Plains Pike, Knoxville — 100
  • Wendy’s, 400 Merchants Drive, Knoxville — 100
  • Small Town BBQ, 110 West College Street, Friendsville — 100
  • Archers BBQ, 1830 Winfield Dunn Parkway, Sevierville — 99
  • Smokies Cuban Cafe, 3526 Parkway, Suite 4, Pigeon Forge — 99
  • Krystal, 5219 Clinton Highway, Knoxville — 99
  • Taco Bell, 1114 Charles G. Seviers Boulevard, Clinton — 98

Restaurant inspection reports are supposed to be posted in an area where you can find them and read them. The grade represents a snapshot of conditions at the time of the inspection.