A Pollo Tropical restaurant near the Mall of Georgia failed its latest health inspection, Gwinnett County records show.

The restaurant on Buford Drive earned a 63/U on the Oct. 16 inspection. Any score below 70 is considered failing.

READ | Checkers in Mall of Georgia fails health inspection

Three employees did not wash their hands between handling dirty dishes, handling clean utensils and putting on new gloves to prepare food, the report says. A manager did not “demonstrate knowledge” of health policies, including the symptoms and illnesses that should prevent an employee from coming to work, according to the report.

There was no verifiable documentation that showed employees were “aware of their responsibility to report foodborne illnesses,” but documents that fit that definition were signed by workers before the inspection was over. A hand sink was not properly stocked with soap, and a thermometer was not cleaned before use, the report says.

Pollo Tropical

3385 Buford Dr.

Buford, Georgia 30519

63/U

“Steps were quickly taken to remedy the situation, and the issues that were brought to our attention were resolved immediately during the inspection,” said Eladio Romeo, Pollo Tropical’s senior vice president of operations, in a statement. “We are committed to ensuring a quality experience at each of our locations.”

Re-inspections are typically conducted within 10 days of a failure.

Like Gwinnett County News on Facebook | Follow us on Twitter and Instagram

Stay up to the minute with breaking news on Channel 2 Action News This Morning

More food news:

About the Author

Keep Reading

Cooper Harris was 22 months old when he died in 2014. His father, Justin Ross Harris, was convicted of his murder, a decision the Georgia Supreme Court later overturned. (AJC file)

Featured

Members of the conversion crew take a break as the main scoreboard is lowered to the floor to be worked on as the arena gets ready for the next concert at State Farm Arena, Thursday, October 2, 2025, in Atlanta. The crew was working on creating a stage for the Friday, Oct. 3 Maxwell concert. (Jason Getz/AJC)

Credit: Jason Getz / Jason.Getz@ajc.com