South Mississippi restaurants that failed their health inspections in the last two weeks had dirty countertops, didn’t keep their food at the proper temperatures or didn’t have certified food safety managers on staff.
Restaurants and kitchens are required to have at least one certified manager on staff who is trained to safely prepare, serve and sell food to the public. The cost for online or in-person training is about $100 and the certification is good for five years, but keeping certified managers in an industry with frequent staff turnover has been an issue for local restaurants since Covid began in 2020.
Restaurants and kitchens that failed their recent inspections include:
Whistle Stop Café at 127 North Magnolia Drive, Wiggins, was inspected Sept. 17 for a permit renewal and failed for the sixth time since 2021. It was cited for:
Improper hot holding temperatures, a repeat violation
Improper cold holding temperatures, also a repeat violation
Corrected during the inspection were:
Proper date marking and disposition
Adequate handwashing facilities supplied and accessible
A follow-up inspection on Sept. 30 showed there were no longer violations and the restaurant scored a B.
Shell Landing Grill, 3499 Shell Landing Blvd., Gautier. The restaurant was inspected Sept. 23 for a permit renewal and was cited for:
Food contact surface not cleaned and sanitized
Improper cold holding temperatures
This is the third C since 2013. The prior one was in 2019.
Pilot Travel Center, 670 Mississippi 63, Moss Point, was inspected Sept. 29 for a permit renewal. It was cited for:
This is the only C at the travel center kitchen dating back to 2012.
During September, there were 316 South Mississippi restaurants that scored an A for no violations, 35 that received a B when any violations were corrected during the inspection and eight a C for critical violations.
Dining and Cooking