A Town Wings on Mike Padgett Highway in Augusta received a failing grade during a routine health inspection earlier this month, dropping from a B to a U in less than four months.
What’s Happening: The Georgia Department of Public Health inspected A Town Wings at 3412 Mike Padgett Hwy on September 8, scoring the restaurant a 49 out of 100. Under the state’s grading scale, any score of 69 or below earns a U, which is a failing grade. The restaurant’s previous inspection, on May 26, resulted in a score of 80, a B.
What’s Important: Inspectors found the walk-in cooler running at 98°F and completely unusable for cold storage. Because of that, a crate of eggs delivered the day before the inspection had been sitting out at 86°F. Diced onions were also left out at 67°F. State rules require cold food to be kept at 41°F or below. Both the temperature violations and a pest problem were flagged as repeat violations, meaning they had also appeared on the May inspection.
By the Numbers: The inspection, which ran from 11:15 a.m. to 1:05 p.m., turned up 15 separate violations. Three of those were repeats:
- Raw and uncovered food stored improperly in coolers.
- Food left at unsafe temperatures, including eggs at 86°F and onions at 67°F.
- Live ants, gnats, and flies observed in both the kitchen and dining room.
What We Know: Beyond the repeat violations, inspectors cited a range of new problems. Two cans of Raid bug spray, a residential pesticide not allowed in food service settings, were stored under the three-compartment sink. Raw shrimp was stored uncovered next to ready-to-eat food.
Sauces were stored on the floor under the handwashing sink. A butter-like sauce was kept in an old teriyaki bottle with no label. Scoops were left stored inside containers of hot chili powder and sugar.
The most recent inspection report was posted behind the counter where customers could not easily see it, which is a violation of state rules. Dust and food debris were found on countertops, floors, walls, and the ceiling. The dining room was also cited as unclean.
The restaurant had no employee health reporting agreements on file, which are documents workers sign to confirm they understand when and how to report illnesses that could affect food safety.
The Path Forward: A follow-up inspection is scheduled for September 18, the day after this article publishes. Restaurants that receive a U grade are required to undergo that follow-up. If serious violations remain uncorrected, the Georgia Department of Public Health has authority to suspend or revoke a food service permit.
The broken walk-in cooler is the most urgent issue, since without it the restaurant has no adequate way to safely store cold food.
B.T. Clark is the Publisher of The Georgia Sun and author of Principles Are Like Pants… You Ought to Have Some. Over two decades in journalism, he has served as Managing Editor of Neighbor Newspapers in metro Atlanta and Digital Director at Times-Journal Inc., earning multiple awards along the way. His work has appeared in newspapers across the state, including The Cherokee Tribune and The Marietta Daily Journal.
- B.T. Clark
- B.T. Clark
- B.T. Clark
- B.T. Clark
