Double Zero, one of Castellucci Hospitality Group’s celebrated metro Atlanta restaurants, failed its recent health inspection, dropping significantly from the 100 it received two months ago.
The restaurant, which recently relocated from Sandy Springs to Emory Village, got a 47/U on Wednesday after the inspector noted issues with food temperature and employee handwashing.
Federico Castellucci III of the restaurant group said the inspection was “almost ridiculous."
“I’ve never had this situation happen to us at any of our restaurants,” he told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Friday. “We run a very tight ship, a very, very clean operation.”
The restaurant group is also behind The Iberian Pig Kitchen and Bar in Decatur, Sugo Kitchen in John's Creek and Cooks and Soldiers in Atlanta.
Castellucci complained that the DeKalb inspector was tougher than the ones he’s encountered in Fulton County. He said other restaurants are also concerned in DeKalb.
“Our reputation is on the line with this stuff,” he said.
Restaurants with failing inspections are typically re-inspected within 10 days.
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The inspector noted buttermilk stored past its expiration date as well as an employee handling dirty dishes before handling clean dishes without first washing their hands, the report said.
Double Zero was docked when the inspector couldn’t find where the menu disclosed that a drink included raw eggs, according to the report.
The restaurant also lost points for not having a county approved vomit-cleaning kit, though Castellucci said it came from a reputable supplier.