Premises Information


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Name

HONEY PIES BBQ & SMOKEHOUSE

Address

4400 SUNSET RD

City/State/ZIP

CHARLOTTE

28216

Premise Type

1 - Restaurant

County

Mecklenburg

Inspection Date

10/21/2026

Final Score @ Grade

General Comments

Permit Conditions: This FOOD ESTABLISHMENT is approved for cooling hot foods using approved methods and equipment (blast chiller, walk-in cooler/freezer located inside the building). If cooling cannot be conducted safely, it will be prohibited until further evaluation occurs. Outside walk-in coolers are approved for storage of bulk packaged foods only. Observed facility using outdoor walk in freezer to cool rack of smoked brisket that came from smoker room. Told PIC racks must be rolled in the interior walk in freezer only. No cooling allowed in outdoor coolers. PIC had one outdoor cooler turned off since they do not need it for storage currently. - Permitted space includes existing main building, existing supplemental cooking room with CMU walls, and 2 outdoor walk-in units. Newly constructed metal frame structure, new tank offset smokers, located at back of the premises (to be new supplemental cooking room) are NOT approved for use at this time. Plans for this structure must be submitted to Mecklenburg County Code Enforcement and Health Department for approval. Written approval from MCHD is required prior to use of this structure PIC mentioned submitting information to begin use of outdoor smokers for an upcoming event. Told PIC prior to use they must wait until plans/corrections are reviewed and approved by a regulatory authority. Told PIC to reach out to permitting team to follow up on information

Violations

CDI=Corrected During Inspection

R=Repeat Violation

VR=Verification Required

Violation Item	Demerits	Violation Description	CDI	R	VR	Comments
8	0	Hands clean & properly washed	No	No	No	2-301.14 (H) Wash hands before donning gloves to initiate a task that involves working with food.- P Observed employee put on gloves prior to washing hands to prepare food. CDI hands washed and gloves changed.
10	2	Handwashing sinks supplied & accessible	Yes	Yes	No	6-301.11 Provide soap for handwashing at each handsink. -Pf Observed handsoap missing at back approved smoker room. CDI soap provided. Repeat. 6-301.12 Provide paper towels or approved alternative for hand drying at each handsink. -Pf Observed no paper towels at handsink in back smoker room. CDI paper towels provided. Repeat.
19	1.50	Proper reheating procedures for hot holding	Yes	No	No	3-403.11 (A),(D) Reheat all TCS foods to 165F within 2 hours if food is to be hot held until service. -P Observed pork ribs, beef brisket, green beans, pinto beans, and yams that did that were reheated at 1030 and not reach 165F. Facility was reheating in hot cabinets instead of stove and steam wells then storing in hot cabinets. Reheat in ovens and steam wells prior to storing in hot cabinets. Suggest using smaller containers to reheat food for service.
20	0	Proper cooling time & temperatures	Yes	No	No	3-501.14(A) Quickly cool cooked foods within 2 hours from 135F to 70F; and within a total of 6 hours from 135F to 41F. -P. Observed tall container of yellow rice from the evening before at 45F. CDI product discarded. For more information please visit: www.mecknc.gov/foodsafety or view our training videos at the following weblinks: What are TCS Foods https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0iLZb7v0UM and Cooling Food Safely https://youtu.be/P6x8b1ZVOxU .
21	0	Proper hot holding temperatures	Yes	No	No	3-501.16(A)(1) Maintain TCS foods in hot holding at 135F or above. -P Observed sausage and peppers that were at 128F on serving line. CDI moved to steamer to reheat. For more information, please visit: www.mecknc.gov/foodsafety or view our training videos at the following weblinks: What are TCS Foods https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0iLZb7v0UM and Safe Food Temperatures https://youtu.be/tXP09IK-1TQ .
23	1.50	Proper date marking & disposition	Yes	No	No	3-501.18 Discard the food requiring date labels once time/temperature window has expired, if it has not been labeled, or if the label is incorrect. -P The PIC should train and assign staff to monitor date marking to prevent the use of food products that are no longer in compliance with 3-501.17 (A), (B), or (C) Observed briskets in outdoor walk in freezer from Sunday and not dated. CDI items dated. Observed whole garlic clove containers that have oil manually added to containers in unit since 5/18/2026. CDI containers discarded. Observed beans (10/3), collard juice (10/10), turkey juice (9/25), and cheese sauce (10/10) that was held past 7 days. PIC stated items were prepped between Monday -Tuesday and stickers were not taken off containers when refilled. CDI PIC relabeled with proper dates. For more information, please visit: https://health.mecknc.gov/envhealth/food-and-facilities-sanitation or view our training videos at the following weblinks: What are TCS Foods https://youtu.be/bRvqAETDjQU and Date Marking Food Safely https://youtu.be/BOPsSNUajYs .
33	1	Proper cooling methods used; adequate equipment for temperature control	Yes	Yes	No	3-501.15 Quickly cool foods. Use methods such as open/vented shallow pans, large ice baths and active stirring. Cold air must flow around product to remove the heat. -Pf Observed facility cooling yellow rice in deep plastic container in walk in. CDI item discarded. Suggest spreading out in shallow pans and placing in blast chiller to cool items quickly. Repeat. For more information, please visit: https://health.mecknc.gov/envhealth/food-and-facilities-sanitation or view our training videos at the following weblinks: What are TCS Foods https://youtu.be/bRvqAETDjQU and Cooling Food Safely https://youtu.be/P6x8b1ZVOxU .
40	0	Personal cleanliness	No	No	No	2-303.11 Remove jewelry on hands and arms while preparing food. A plain ring, such as a wedding band, is allowed. Observed employees working with food while wearing bracelets and watches.
48	0.50	Warewashing facilities: installed, maintained & used; test strips	No	No	Yes	4-302.13 (B) Provide an approved Max/Min thermometer for testing sanitizing temperatures in hot water warewashing machines. The thermometer must be readily accessible. -Pf Observed no thermometer to check high temp dish machine. Verification required.
49	0	Non-food contact surfaces clean	No	No	No	4-601.11(C ) Keep non food contact surfaces of equipment clean to avoid build up of dust, food residue or debris.4-602.13 Non food contact surfaces of equipment shall be cleaned frequently to preclude accumulation of soil residues. Observed racks, interior of cold units, and shelving in need of cleaning.
56	0.50	Meets ventilation & lighting requirements; designated areas used	No	No	No	6-403.11 (A)Areas designated for employees to eat and drink, shall be located so that food, equipment, linens, single service/use items are protected from contamination. Observed employee drinks, phone, keys and other personal items stored on countertops, prep surfaces, or storage racks used to store items for the facility and not properly separated.