Restaurant inspection: Huddle House gravy causes failing health score

A Huddle House in Marietta had trouble keeping gravy at safe temperatures and received a failing health score on a recent inspection.

One container of gravy being cooled after preparation was placed in an ice bath, but that did not bring the temperature down quickly enough to prevent bacteria contamination. The Cobb County food inspector said the method was ineffective because the container was too large.

The gravy should have either been placed in much smaller containers or placed in the freezer to rapidly cool. Paddles could also have been used to stir the mixture and help it cool faster. The cooling process should be monitored, the inspector said.

Temperatures on another batch of prepared gravy were too low, according to the inspection report. Employees were told to reheat it and maintain safe temperatures.

Huddle House, 430 S. Marietta Parkway, Marietta, scored a 66/U. The restaurant’s past two scores were 82/B.

In other code violations, raw eggs were on top of the grill at unsafe temperatures. The eggs had been taken out of the cooler but there was no documentation to show how long they had been out and when they should be discarded.

The inspector told employees to place a sticker or some type of note to indicate time control measures. Potentially hazardous cold foods not maintained at 41 degrees or lower must be discarded after four hours. Huddle House will be re-inspected. [Editor's Note: Huddle House passed the follow-up inspection with 88/B.]

In other news: These recently reviewed restaurants pulled up their health scores during follow-up inspections: Philly & Wings Plus, 1722 Campbellton Road, Atlanta, 76/C; Ichiban Buffet, 655 Atlanta Road, Cumming, 81/B; Moksha Kitchen, 3294 Peachtree Industrial Blvd., Duluth, scored 90/A.