HUNTINGDON, Tenn. — The Sonic Drive-In on E. Main Street received a score of 85 out of 100 on a routine Tennessee Department of Health food service inspection conducted October 8.
A score of 85 falls within the state’s passing range, though a follow-up inspection was required. Several concerned readers submitted the report to Carroll County Observer.
Six violations were noted, many of which franchisee Josh Grant attributes to ongoing renovations at the restaurant.
The inspector documented live roaches in the ice cream machine refrigeration compartment, with ice cream mix stored in an unsealed container inside.
“It made me sick to my stomach when they found it,” Grant said.
He said workers had accidentally left the cabinet door cracked open the night before during renovation work, which he believes allowed the roach to enter and caused the temperature of the mix to rise above safe holding levels.
“Us disturbing everything inside the building apparently caused an issue,” he added. “I’m not going to make excuses because it still happened. There’s no excuse for it. I just hope people can see the changes being made down there and understand what we’re going through with this renovation.”
Grant said he had proactively called their pest control provider, Ecolab, to service the restaurant the morning before the inspection out of concern that tearing out walls, ceiling tiles, ductwork, and insulation may have disturbed the building.
“They sprayed the morning before the inspection, and then once the issue was found, we called them to come back out and do a complete fog,” Grant said.
Additionally, the report said that the vanilla ice cream mix was being held above safe holding temperatures at 48 degrees and the Half and Half at 47 degrees inside the contaminated cabinet.
Grant said he had his manager discard those items.
Grant also explained that an independent NSF food safety audit conducted the same day resulted in a score of 98.
The inspection report also noted a freezer door gasket not in good repair and rusty cooler shelves in the walk-in cooler.
Additional findings, Grant said, were a result of renovations, as well. Those included the removal of a mop sink; floors, walls, and ceilings not in good repair; and dirty (HVAC) vents throughout the kitchen.
None of the violations were listed as repeated from a prior inspection.
Food temperatures recorded for other items during the inspection were within acceptable ranges.
Inspection reports for Tennessee food service establishments are publicly available at inspections.myhealthdepartment.com.