If you eat at Southern Fire Kitchen in Fayetteville, here’s what you should know: the restaurant scored a 60 on its Aug. 7 health check. Inspectors flagged unsafe food temps, cross-contamination, and missing safety paperwork.
🔎 What’s Happening: The state inspector cited 17 violations, including several high-risk issues tied to foodborne illness.
- Key problems: raw meat stored over lettuce and cooked foods; hot foods below 135 F; cold foods above 41 F; no certified food safety manager posted; no proof workers were trained to report illness; no allergen disclosure on menus; employee drinks and belongings stored over food; utensils kept in lukewarm water; no sanitizer test strips.
🍽️ What It Means For You: A 60 is a failing score in Georgia and triggers a follow-up visit. The inspector found food held too warm or too cool, raw meat stored above ready-to-eat food, and missing proof of staff food safety training and health reporting. If you dine here, look for the current score posted near the door and consider waiting for a re-check.
⚠️ Between The Lines: The most serious issues were corrected on the spot or set on a 4-hour discard plan, but others were not. Without a certified manager and clear health rules, problems can return when inspectors leave.
🧭 The Big Picture: Georgia scores food service from 0 to 100. Below 70 is unsatisfactory and requires a quick re-inspection. Temperature control and cross-contamination are the fastest ways for germs to spread. Fixing systems—training, labeling, and daily checks—matters as much as tossing a bad batch of food.
Southern Fire Kitchen Fayetteville, LLC
185 NEW HOPE RD STE D, FAYETTEVILLE, GA 30214
📞 (470) 658-7791
Permit Type: Food Service
Permit Number: FSP-056-001157
Last Inspection Score: 60 (on 08-07-2025)
ℹ️ For More Information: (943) 209-8057
Inspection Summary
Date: 08-07-2025
Purpose: Routine
Score: 60
Inspector: Joseph Addison
Total Violations: 19
Key Violations
- Improper food storage and separation
- Lack of certified food safety manager documentation
- Improper employee drink storage
- Food contact surface contamination
- Improper hot and cold holding temperatures
- Missing allergen disclosure
- Personal cleanliness issues (jewelry, etc.)
- Wet wiping cloths stored improperly
- Failure to post inspection report
- In-use utensils stored incorrectly
- Lack of sanitizer test strips
- Employee belongings stored with food
The Sources: Georgia Department of Public Health.
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Before You Dismiss This Article…
We live in a time when information feels overwhelming, but here’s what hasn’t changed: facts exist whether they comfort us or not.
When A&W launched their third-pound burger to compete with McDonald’s Quarter Pounder in the 1980s, it failed spectacularly. Not because it tasted worse, but because customers thought 1/3 was smaller than 1/4. If basic math can trip us up, imagine how easily we can misread complex news.
The press isn’t against you when it reports something you don’t want to hear. Reporters are thermometers, not the fever itself. They’re telling you what verified sources are saying, not taking sides. Good reporting should challenge you — that’s literally the job.
Next time a story makes you angry, pause. Ask yourself: What evidence backs this up? Am I reacting with my brain or my gut? What would actually change my mind? And most importantly, am I assuming bias just because the story doesn’t match what I hoped to hear.
Smart readers choose verified information over their own comfort zone.
B.T. Clark
B.T. Clark is an award-winning journalist and the Publisher of The Georgia Sun. He has 25 years of experience in journalism and served as Managing Editor of Neighbor Newspapers in metro Atlanta for 15 years and Digital Director at Times-Journal Inc. for 8 years. His work has appeared in several newspapers throughout the state including Neighbor Newspapers, The Cherokee Tribune and The Marietta Daily Journal. He is a Georgia native and a fifth-generation Georgian.
