UPDATE at 9 a.m. May 30: Karina Restaurant drastically improved its food service score when it was reinspected May 29 by the Cobb and Douglas Public Health Department.
The eatery on Austell Road in Marietta received an 88, or B, on its follow-up. The inspector noted the restaurant had food items holding above 41 degrees inside a refrigerator. It also did not have properly working lights under a ventilation hood.
ORIGINAL STORY
A Cobb County restaurant will have to undergo another inspection after receiving a failing grade this week on its most recent review.
Karina Restaurant, a Salvadoran eatery at 2561 Austell Road SW Suite 290 in Marietta, received a 52, or U, on its May 14 inspection. Anything below a 70 is considered failing.
The restaurant was cited for several violations, according to the report conducted by the Cobb & Douglas Public Health Department. It previously scored a 90, or A, on Feb. 15, 2018, and 88, or B, on Dec. 12, 2016.
Karina Restaurant was dinged for not having paper towels at a hand sink, raw eggs stored above beans and cheese stuffing and produce, food stored uncovered inside a cooler and refrigerator, chicken cooked to 154 degrees Fahrenheit, employees not checking the temperatures of cooked items, food items holding above 41 degrees inside the cooler, unlabeled bottles and one cooler not holding at the proper temperature.
READ | How to check restaurant health inspections in metro Atlanta counties
The inspector also observed food stored directly inside grocery or trash bags, “excessive” food debris and grease throughout the kitchen, dumpsters “overflowing” with trash and garbage on the ground around the dumpsters.
A follow-up inspection will be held May 28, the report indicates. The restaurant said it has started making corrections to the violations.
“With the restaurant being a Hispanic restaurant, there are many cultural barriers when it comes to preparation that will keep the authenticity of the foods that represent our country and what the state will approve,” it said in a prepared statement.
For example, the inspector cited the restaurant for its pickle slaw not being the desired temperature of 41 degrees or below. The restaurant said it explained to the inspector that making the dish in an authentic manner requires it to be prepared at room temperature.
The restaurant has also been undergoing remodeling, so a lot of the signs had been removed at the time of the May 14 inspection.
“We want our clients and the community to corrections have been made,” the restaurant said. “Health inspections go beyond the food being serve. Again, this is already being corrected and we guarantee the score will return to the A we are all use to.”
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