Food tossed at Kingston restaurant after inspectors finds temperature issues
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — The restaurant with the low grade just barely passed its health inspection.
The grade was a 70 at Don Eduardo's Mexican Grill in Roane County. It's on Kentucky Street in Kingston. 70 is a passing score, as any grade of 69 and below is considered failing.
Don Eduardo's Mexican Grill, 1320 N. Kentucky St, Kingston — Grade: 70, Follow-up: 91
To begin with, employee hygiene was a problem. The inspector wrote that a worker left the kitchen and went outside. When he returned, he forgot to wash his hands as he continued working in the kitchen. Had any employee tried to wash their hands, they couldn't, because there was no soap. When the inspector asked the manager about soap refills, they didn't have any.
Fee-free day in GSMNP celebrates start of National Park Week: What to know
When the inspector checked the sanitization bucket, where clothes are kept to clean tables, there was sanitizer in it, as required.
The dishwasher also wasn't working. As an alternative, the manager told the inspector that employees used the three-compartment sink to wash, rinse, and sanitize dishes and utensils. That might have been okay if there had been hot water, but the inspector found no hot water running at the grill. Something was wrong with the hot water heater.
Finally, food temperatures were off. Cut lettuce, shredded cheese and sliced tomatoes were at 51 degrees. In addition, chicken was at 61, and it had been at that temperature overnight. 41 and below is the correct cool temperature. The food was thrown away.
The health inspector returned to Don Eduardo's Mexican Grill in Kingston. Multiple violations that could potentially cause foodborne illness had been corrected. The new reinspected grade is a 91.
Suspect in custody after shooting at Florida State University leaves multiple injured
An inspector also returned to Empire Garden on Lamar Alexander Parkway in Maryville. Multiple critical violations were checked and corrected. The new re-inspected grade is an 87.
Food-For-Thought-4-17Download
Cava, 11378 Parkside Dr, Knoxville — 100
Chipotle Mexican Grill, 11380 Parkside Dr, Knoxville — 100
China Lee, 8643 Middlebrook Pk, Knoxville — 100
Heidi's Home Cooking, 4505 Greenway Dr, Knoxville — 100
Zaxby's, 607 Emory Rd, Powell — 100
Firehouse Subs, 7614 Chapman Hwy, Knoxville — 100
Panda Express, 375 Illinois Ave, Oak Ridge — 100
Naf Naf Grill, 126 Cedar Bluff Rd, Knoxville — 99
Double Dogs, 8910 Kingston Pk, Knoxville — 99
Freddy's, 6502 Kingston Pk, Knoxville — 99
Taco Bell, 3684 Roy Messer Hwy, White Pine — 99
The Kennedy, 430 S. Gay St, Knoxville — 98
SECOND HELPING: Miss a Food for Thought segment? See them all here.
Restaurant health inspection scores are required to be posted in an area where you can find the report and read it. The inspections are unannounced and are conducted every six months.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Yahoo
New Grace Performing Arts Center facility to include much needed space to grow
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — On Sunday, Grace Baptist Church and Grace Christian Academy broke ground on an exciting new state of the art facility addition for the Grace Performing Arts Center (GPAC). 6 News went to the event to check out the vision for the new space and what it could mean for GPAC currently provides instruction in music, dance, and visual arts. Crews respond to drowning on Douglas Lake in Jefferson County 'The Bible talks about the arts so much about using wires and strings in our voices to praise the Lord. And so being able to do that and really allow the students to use what God's given them for him cause not everyone is gifted in academics or athletics but being able to use these gifts for his glory. It's going to be so exciting!' said Heather Lievsay the GPAC Director. The new performing arts building project has been four years in the making. It is fully funded, costing around 5.5 million dollars. The facility will have a 250-seat recital hall and various practice rooms, space that desperately needed as the program continues to grow. Over 200 students are expected this fall. GPAC was recently honored as the Best Music School and Best Dance Studio by the Knox Stars Community Choice Awards. 'We need more practice room, more space, more recital time. We have these practice lessons occurring all over the campus. Everywhere we found a room, we put a kid in it to take a musical lesson. So, we really needed a dedicated area to be able to handle the volume of children and even adults who want to learn different things dance, music, singing,' explained Barry Silver, the Pastor of Executive Operations and Finance with Grace Baptist Church. Five charged after $500,000 worth of pure fentanyl seized in Knox County drug bust Previously the program has operated out of random spaces across campus. The new space will provide more opportunities for children and parents to utilize their talents and reach more members of the community. 'It's going to give us a great opportunity to reach the community even more with extra space, to be able to really allow people to hone in their skills,' explained Lievsay. She went on to talk about the growth the program has seen 'One thing that's been really cool the last couple years, just to see this go from mostly younger kids who want to take to watching parents and grandparents get involved. And so, they're not just at the performances, they're taking lessons and they're taking classes.' Silver also shared that the new facility will be used by various programs within the academy and church, with hopes for it to become the most utilized building on campus. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
05-06-2025
- Yahoo
Oak Ridge Police increase patrols in Scarboro neighborhood after block party shooting
OAK RIDGE, Tenn. (WATE) — Oak Ridge Police Chief Robin Smith said the department has increased patrols in the Scarboro neighborhood following a shooting that injured multiple over Memorial Day weekend. The shooting occurred at a block party around S. Benedict Avenue in the early hours of May 25. Nine people were shot and one person was stabbed. All ten victims survived. Judge grants Kenneth DeHart new preliminary hearing Smith said in a statement to 6 News that the Oak Ridge Police Department has increased its presence in the Scarboro area in response. Officers are conducting regular drive-throughs and foot patrols in the area. Smith said the goal is to both deter further violence and engage with community members to build community trust. ORPD command staff met with local faith and community leaders as well as NAACP members to discuss ongoing efforts and future steps. ▶ See more top stories on 'We urge residents to speak with our officers—whether it's to share information, voice concerns, or simply to connect,' Smith said. 'Public safety is a shared responsibility, and we are here to reduce the incidence and fear of crime in Oak Ridge.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
04-06-2025
- Yahoo
KCDC breaks ground on Phase 2 of Western Heights redevelopment project
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — The Knoxville Community Development Corporation broke ground on Phase 2 of the Transforming Western initiative Wednesday. Phase 2 will add 52 housing units to the Western Heights community. This is in addition to 76 units added during Phase 1, which are set to be done this fall. The units in both phases are mixed-income. Judge grants Kenneth DeHart new preliminary hearing 'We're excited to create that socioeconomic diversity that has subsidized, so affordable units for someone making almost no money all the way up to market rate for this area, it's a great combination and it leads to great results on the neighborhood level,' said Ben Bentley, CEO of KCDC. Phase 2 aims to create a 'town center' for Western Heights. It will include a City of Knoxville fine arts and craft center. Bentley said the community expressed a want for more access to the arts during the public input process. Knoxville Jewish Alliance increasing security amid national rise in antisemitic incidents The Knoxville Police Department is also bringing an addition to the area. 'We have a partnership with KPD to bring a police substation to this site, they are invested in community policing and this gives them an opportunity to really build rapport with children and families in this area,' Bentley said. The phase will also include a University of Tennessee Medical health center. President and CEO of UT Medical Center Dr. Keith Gray said it's needed in this community. 'The care that we will provide will be primary care, prenatal services and will also be OBGYN services, we've studied our community and we know that in these underserved areas, infant and maternal mortality is among the highest in the state and the highest in the country,' he said. Program offering preschool classrooms open in Western Heights The goal behind the health center is to increase access to care. 'By bringing the care to the patients or the people of the community, we are able to improve their health because they are able to access it without the barriers of transportation or jobs that often times interfere with healthcare access in a remote location,' Gray said. Phase 2 is expected to be done in the fall of 2026. The entire project, which will eventually add 479 housing units, is set to be finished in 2029. It is made up of six phases. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
