15 Mecklenburg County Restaurants Got Bad Grades in January Health Inspections

In January 2025, fifteen restaurants failed their health inspections across Mecklenburg County, among 907 places checked. The health department regularly checks about 4,400 food places, making around 13,000 visits each year to keep the public safe.

Alicia's Kitchen got the worst grade, scoring just 77/C with 16 violations. Four places got better scores after being checked again. Food Geeks jumped from 84 to 98.5, and the airport's Midwood Smokehouse went up from 87.5 to 97.5. Eden Di Rose Cafe bumped its score from 88 to 94 by fixing how it handles food. Emmy Squared Pizza had trouble with 12 problems, mostly about food storage and worker cleanliness, ending up with just 84.5 points. When inspectors visited Bheema's food truck on January 24, they found seven problems, mostly about hand washing and keeping food at the right temperature. Their score of 86 means they need to fix these issues before their next check.

Inspectors look at how food is cooked, if workers are clean, and check on staff health. Getting less than 70 could mean losing permission to serve food. These checks look for anything that could make people sick from the food. Inspectors make sure nothing bad gets into meals, whether it's germs or cleaning products. Reports show where each place is, when they were checked, what was wrong, and if they got better. This helps track how well restaurants follow the rules. Every food business has to follow North Carolina's Food Code Manual rules about handling food safely, keeping workers clean, and cooking food properly.