Premises Information


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Name

BELLY OF THE WHALE, THE

Address

4422 COLWICK RD

City/State/ZIP

CHARLOTTE

28211

Premise Type

1 - Restaurant

County

Mecklenburg

Inspection Date

8/4/2026

Final Score @ Grade

General Comments

Facility only has one prep sink and shucks oysters per customer order. EHS only observed one order of oysters during inspection. EHS did not observe any contamination during inspection. Facility to provide EHS with an SOP regarding how they separate raw animal foods from ready to eat foods as well as wash, rinse and sanitizing procedures. If contamination is observed regarding the oyster sink during future inspections, an additional prep sink WILL BE REQUIRED.

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	Yes	No	No	2-301.12 (A),(B) Wash hands for at least 20 seconds. Follow the cleaning procedure to adequately wash your hands. Use warm water, soap, scrub 10 to 15 seconds, rinse, and immediately follow the cleaning procedure with thorough hand drying method (ex. Disposable Paper Towel). -P. Observed food employee wash hands without soap. CDI: Food employee rewashed hands with soap. For more information on handwashing, please visit: https://health.mecknc.gov/envhealth/food-and-facilities-sanitation or view our training video at the following web link, https://youtu.be/BH6CLGrH10M .
9	2	No bare hand contact with RTE foods or pre- approved alternate procedure properly followed	Yes	No	No	3-301.11(B) Do not contact exposed ready-to-eat food with bare hands. Use suitable utensils, single-use gloves or dispensing equipment. -P. Observed food employee handle cooked bread with bare hands. Observed food employee handle ready to eat croquettes with bare hands. CDI: PIC placed bread back in oven and voluntarily discarded croquettes. For more information, please visit: https://health.mecknc.gov/envhealth/food-and-facilities-sanitation or view our training video at the following web link: Handwashing and No Barehand Contact https://youtu.be/BH6CLGrH10M
10	0	Handwashing sinks supplied & accessible	Yes	No	No	6-301.12 Provide paper towels or approved alternative for hand drying at each handsink. -Pf. Observed non-functioning paper towel dispensers at both hand sinks. CDI: PIC provided paper towels rolls at hand sink.
14	1	Required records available: shellstock tags, parasite destruction	No	No	Yes	3-203.12 Retain tag on the bag of shellstock until empty. Record date on the tag when the last shellstock from the container is used. Store tags in chronological order for 90 days. -Pf. Observed oyster tag without last sale date recorded. PIC was able to confirm the bag of oysters was finished last night. PIC added last sale date to tag. According to PIC, clams are purchased from restaurant depot out of a seafood case, therefore a shellstock tag is not provided. If facility is purchasing live shell stock a shell stock tag must be provided and kept with item until it is finished. VERIFICATION REQUIRED.
15	1.50	Food separated & protected	No	No	Yes	3-302.11(A)(1) Separate raw animal foods from ready-to-eat foods and washed/unwashed fruits and vegetables. -P. Observed fresh garlic being stored in same container as raw shell eggs inside walk in cooler. Observed raw fish being stored behind cooked octopus and other ready to eat foods inside prep top. Observed raw beef being stored above peppers inside walk in cooler. CDI: Storage order was rearranged. For more information on food storage order please visit: https://health.mecknc.gov/envhealth/food-and-facilities-sanitation, 3-302.11 (A)(2) Separate types of raw animal foods from each other such as beef, fish, lamb, pork, and poultry during storage, preparation, holding, and display. -P. Observed raw whole muscle intact beef being stored in same container as ground beef. VERIFICATION REQUIRED. For more information on food storage order please visit: https://health.mecknc.gov/envhealth/food-and-facilities-sanitation
22	0	Proper cold holding temperatures	Yes	No	No	3-501.16(A)(2) Maintain TCS foods in cold holding at 41F or less. -P. Observed Shrimp oil, garlic oil and unsalted butter oil mixture sitting out at room temperature above 41F. CDI: Items were placed in ice bath to cool. 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	No	No	Yes	3-501.17 (A) or (B) Date mark/label all TCS foods that are ready-to-eat once opened or prepared and are to be held for more than 24 hours. -Pf. Establish a date marking system consistent with 3-501.17 (A) or (B). Additional date marking system options are found in 3-501.17 (D). Observed no date marking system in facility. EHS observed various TCS food items prepared and held for longer than 24 hours without dates. VERIFICATION REQUIRED. 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 Date Marking Food Safely https://youtu.be/BOPsSNUajYs .
25	0.50	Consumer advisory provided for raw/ undercooked foods	No	No	Yes	3-603.11 (A) Provide consumer advisory for animal foods served raw or under-cooked. Consumer advisory must include disclosure and reminder.-Pf. Observed oysters and ceviche on menu without a consumer advisory. EHS observed ceviche and oysters being served raw during inspection. VERIFICATION REQUIRED.
29	1	Compliance with variance, specialized process, reduced oxygen packaging criteria or HACCP plan	Yes	No	No	3-502.11 Obtain a variance for specialized processes.-Pf. Observed cooked sauce in ROP packaging inside prep top during inspection, PIC stated it was packaged a month ago. Facility does not have approval for any specialized processes. CDI: Item was voluntarily discarded. For more information on how to apply for a variance please visit: https://health.mecknc.gov/envhealth/food-and-facilities-sanitation
33	0.50	Proper cooling methods used; adequate equipment for temperature control	Yes	No	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 raw wahoo cooling at a rate of 0F/min and octopus cooling at a rate of 0.01F/min inside prep top. CDI: Items were moved to walk in cooler to cool. 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 .
47	0	Equipment, food & non-food contact surfaces approved, cleanable, properly designed, constructed & used	No	No	No	4-501.11 Maintain equipment in good repair. Observed rusted shelving in dish area.
55	0	Physical facilities installed, maintained & clean	No	No	No	6-501.11 Floors, walls, and ceilings including the attachments such as soap and towel dispensers; light fixtures; and heat/ac vents shall be maintained in good repair. Observed cracked floor tiles near prep unit and pizza oven.