Georgia Little Caesars restaurant fails health inspection with a 60

A Little Caesars Pizza in Gainesville has failed its latest health inspection — scoring a 60 out of 100, an unsatisfactory rating that triggered a mandatory follow-up inspection.

State inspectors conducted the routine inspection at the restaurant on Browns Bridge Road on April 10, uncovering ten violations ranging from improper chemical storage to a complete lack of managerial oversight.

No One in Charge

Perhaps the most serious finding: inspectors say there was no active managerial control at the facility. The restaurant had no certified food service manager on site, and according to the inspection report, all food employees will need to be retrained before that changes.

That violation was not corrected before the inspector left.

Handwashing Problems

Inspectors also found that food employees had not been formally told in any verifiable way that they are required to report illnesses that can be spread through food. That gap was corrected on the spot, with workers signing health agreements before the inspection wrapped up.

A separate handwashing violation, also flagged as a repeat, found an employee turning off the faucet after washing their hands without using a paper towel as a barrier, a step required to prevent recontaminating clean hands. The employee rewashed their hands before the inspector left.

Making matters worse, there were no paper towels available at the drive-thru window hand sink, and the paper towel dispenser elsewhere in the facility was not working, leaving the entire restaurant without a way for employees to properly dry their hands. The manager restocked paper towels at all sinks before the inspection ended.

Food Safety Failures

Inspectors found prepped pizza topped with shredded mozzarella and pre-cooked bacon sitting out with no labels or timers to track how long the food had been out of temperature control. Under state rules, those items must be used or discarded within four hours. The unlabeled food was thrown out, and timers were set on fresh product.

A similar problem turned up with the restaurant’s marinara pizza sauce. Little Caesars holds a state-approved variance allowing the sauce to be held for up to 16 hours — as long as its temperature stays below 100 degrees — but the sauce on hand had no label indicating when it would need to be pulled. It was replaced and properly labeled before the inspector left.

Inspectors also found chemicals stored in ways that put food and clean equipment at risk. A peroxide disinfectant was stored above pizza boxes, which are considered food contact surfaces, and a degreaser and liquid cleaner were found sitting next to sanitized dishware. All chemicals were moved to compliant storage locations during the inspection.

Facility Issues

The three-compartment sink was found leaking water onto the floor, a plumbing issue the restaurant will need to have repaired. Baking pans showed heavy soil buildup, which inspectors say must be cleaned or the pans replaced. And the side door of the outdoor dumpster was found standing open, though that was closed before the inspector left.

What’s Next

A follow-up inspection is scheduled for April 20. Inspectors will return to check whether the restaurant has addressed the violations that were not corrected during the initial visit — including the lack of a certified food manager, the leaking plumbing, and the dirty baking pans.