Premise Information Return to Inspections Name MORTONS THE STEAKHOUSE Rules Governing Inspection Scores. Address 227 W TRADE ST Restaurants:  Select Rules   Day Care and Adult Care:  Select Rules City/State/ZIP CHARLOTTE NC 28202 Swimming Pool Rules:  Select Rules Premise Type 1 - Restaurant Mobile Food Units, Push carts, Tattoo Parlors:  Select Rules County Mecklenburg Residential Care and Local Confinement:  Select Rules Inspection Date 1/4/2023   Final Score @ Grade 86.50 B NC Department of Environmental Health:  Website General Comments NOTE: Facility menu has sea bass asterisked. PIC stated that this protein is never offered undercooked. Ensure corporate corrects this by removing the asterisk from the item on the menu.

Violations   Critical Violations SHOWN in RED    NA=Not Applicable   NO=Not Observed   CDI=Corrected During Inspection   R=Repeat Violation   VR=Verification Required   Violation Item Demerits Violation Description NA NO CDI R VR Comments 10 1 Handwashing sinks supplied & accessible No No Yes Yes No 5-205.11 (A) A handwashing sink shall be maintained so that it is accessible at all times for employee use Pf. Observed cart blocking the handsink on the cook line. CDI: Cart moved. REPEAT VIOLATION Some improvement as all sinks were stocked appropriately. 15 3 Food separated & protected No No Yes Yes No 3-302.11(A)(1) Separate raw animal foods from ready-to-eat foods and washed/unwashed fruits and vegetables. -P For more information on food storage order please visit: http://meck.co/FoodSafety Observed raw tuna stored over ready to eat vegetables in reach in. Observed raw shrimp and fish stored over crabcakes with no raw ingredients in the walk in. CDI: Products reorganized. REPEAT VIOLATION 3-302.11(A)(8) Separate unwashed produce from ready-to-eat foods. For more information on food storage order please visit: http://meck.co/FoodSafety Observed unwashed produce stored over ready to eat produce and cheeses in walk in cooler. CDI: Items reorganized. REPEAT VIOLATION 16 1.50 Food-contact surfaces: cleaned & sanitized No No Yes Yes No 4-501.114 Maintain sanitizer at correct concentrations when being used to sanitize. -P For more information please visit: http://meck.co/FoodSafety Observed bleach sanitizer at under counter dish machine to be 0ppm. Line was primed and read 10ppm. After another wash, machine read 0ppm again. CDI: All dishes will go through the main dish machine until the chemical can be serviced. REPEAT VIOLATION Previous violation corrected. 4-601.11(A) Equipment food contact surfaces and utensils shall be clean to sight and touch. -Pf. For more information please visit: http://meck.co/FoodSafety or view our training videos at the following weblinks: Sanitizing Solutions - https://youtu.be/ykP2mr9CtRg , How to Test Sanitizer https://youtu.be/y0SjmnabFaY , and Cleaning and Sanitizing Food Contact Surfaces https://youtu.be/av1Rbh-lh08 . Observed one half pan stored as clean with food build up. Observed a whole stack of ceramic plates, bus tub of ceramic ramekins, and several bowls and plates throughout the storage racks with food debris and build up that were stored as clean. CDI: Dishes were taken to the dish area for proper cleaning. 19 0 Proper reheating procedures for hot holding No No 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 cheese sauce that after 1 hr and 25 min of reheating in the steam well was at 73F. Facility stated that the sauce should be reheated on the stove and then hot held in the steam well. Based on temperature after 3/4 of the reheating time, food would not have heated to 165F within 35 min using the current method. CDI: Product was voluntarily discarded and new cheese sauce from the cooler was reheated to over 165F on the stove. 21 1.50 Proper hot holding temperatures No No Yes No No 3-501.16(A)(1) Maintain TCS foods in hot holding at 135F or above. -P For more information please visit: http://meck.co/FoodSafety or view our training videos at the following weblinks: What are TCS Foods https://youtu.be/bRvqAETDjQU and Safe Food Temperatures https://youtu.be/tXP09IK-1TQ . Observed hollandaise sauce and bernaise sauce holding below 135F in steam well. CDI: Product placed on TPHC from the time it was made. Procedures for this product have been written in the past. Sauces must either be held hot above 135F or use TPHC procedures for 4 hour hold and discarded. 22 0 Proper cold holding temperatures No No Yes No No 3-501.16(A)(2) Maintain TCS foods in cold holding at 41F or less. -P For more information please visit: http://meck.co/FoodSafety or view our training videos at the following weblinks: What are TCS Foods https://youtu.be/bRvqAETDjQU and Safe Food Temperatures https://youtu.be/tXP09IK-1TQ Observed shrimp in the grill cooler at 43F. CDI: Shrimp voluntarily discarded. 23 3 Proper date marking & disposition No No Yes Yes No 3-501.18 Discard the food requiring date labels once time/temperature window has expired, if it is not been labeled, or if the label is incorrect. -P For more information please visit: http://meck.co/FoodSafety 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 . Observed several items in various coolers more than 7 days old including creamed spinach (12/26), scampi butter (12/23), goat cheese (12/28), tuna (12/24) and meatball (12/16). CDI: Goat cheese and tuna voluntarily discarded. Spinach was actually made Monday per chef, but was placed on the same sheet pan as before (product was containerized) which had the old batch date. New date was not provided after cooking. Date was corrected. Other items were frozen and pulled within the past 2 days but no PFF date was written. PFF written on the products. REPEAT VIOLATION 3-501.17 Date mark/label all TCS foods that are ready-to-eat once opened or prepared and held more than 24hrs. -Pf For more information please visit: http://meck.co/FoodSafety 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 . Observed no date mark on the red pepper sauce. CDI: Date provided. 24 3 Time as a Public Health Control; procedures & records No No Yes Yes No 3-501.19(B)(4)(5)Follow written procedures for foods held using Time as a Public Health Control (TPHC) for 4 hours. The food shall be discarded after the food has completed its 4 hour hold time, if the food is in unmarked containers, or marked with a time that exceeds the 4 hour time limit. -P Observed no time marked on sour cream that was held at room temperature during service. CDI: time of product being taken out of cold holding was recorded. REPEAT VIOLATION 37 0 Food properly labeled: original container No No No No No 3-302.12 Label all working containers of food (oils, spices, salts, flour, sugar) except food that is easy to identify such as dry pasta. Observed unlabeled squeeze bottle on back cook line. 39 0 Contamination prevented during food preparation, storage & display No No No No No 3-305.11 Store food in a clean, dry location, not exposed to contamination. Keep at least 6 inches above the floor. Observed sheet pans of bread wrapped in plastic bags stored in basement. Area is not approved for food storage. 41 0 Wiping cloths: properly used & stored No No Yes No No 3-304.14(B) Hold in-use wiping cloths in properly concentrated sanitizer between uses. Observed sanitizer bucket with wet wiping cloth below 200ppm. CDI: Bucket refilled to proper concentration. 47 0 Equipment, food & non-food contact surfaces approved, cleanable, properly designed, constructed & used No No No Yes No 4-501.11 Maintain equipment in good repair. Observed damaged gaskets on upright cooler at front grill line and on the main walk in cooler door. REPEAT VIOLATION Improvement as PIC stated that new gaskets have been ordered. 48 0.50 Warewashing facilities: installed, maintained & used; test strips No No 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 max/min thermometer on site for dish machine. VERIFICATION REQUIRED 49 0 Non-food contact surfaces clean No No 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 dust build up on shelving where ceramic dishes are stored. 55 0 Physical facilities installed, maintained & clean No No Yes Yes No 6-501.12 Floors, walls, ceilings including the attachments such as soap, towel dispensers; light fixtures; and heat/ac vent covers shall be clean. Caution should be used to minimize food exposure. Observed dust build up on wall behind 2 door reach in freezer. Observed floor leading to dish area popping/peeling up with a gap. REPEAT VIOLATION Previous violation corrected.