A Japanese steakhouse in metro Atlanta failed its recent health check due to several staff and food issues.
An inspector gave Hai Hai Steakhouse in Hiram a 60/U on Friday. Any score below a 70 is considered failing.
The eatery located at 5157 Jimmy Lee Smith Parkway was cited for problems with the “personal cleanliness” of its employees.
The inspector reported seeing one worker “using a bare hand to grab salad from container and put into salad bowl.” The salad was thrown away.
Lisa Yao, a manager at the restaurant, sent a statement when asked to comment about the failure: “Our guests’ food safety and health plays (an) extremely important role in our daily business operation. We realize that even we tried the best we can, there are still some errors here and there which are not 100 percent in compliance.”
Hai Hai also had problems keeping foods at the correct temperatures, including batches of rice made the night before being too warm.
The inspector recommended making smaller batches of food to avoid issues.
Yao said they are going to add some cooling equipment and have training sessions for employees on food safety.
“With strong teamwork, we are confident we are going to serve our community better,” she said.
The restaurant scored a 91/A on its March inspection and a 76/C on its February health check, with issues both times regarding food made the night before at unsafe temperatures.
Follow-up inspections are usually done within 10 days of the original evaluation.
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Credit: AJC
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