Restaurants in Tennessee are inspected for their health and food safety compliance status and are offered scores based on that. On Monday, Maria’s Mexican Grill in Milan City was also inspected by the Tennessee Department of Health, and the observation of multiple violations led to a low score for the restaurant.
Please note that the scores mentioned here are from a particular inspection conducted on April 28 and may not represent the future health inspection status of the establishment.
Highlights
- Maria’s Mexican Grill is a Mexican restaurant in Milan, Tennessee.
- On Monday, April 28, a health inspection at the restaurant revealed many safety lapses.
- The restaurant got a low score of 69 and was asked to eliminate all the violations.
Maria’s Mexican Grill Scored Low in Health Inspection
- Where: 6070 S 1st St, Milan, TN 38358
- When: April 28, 2025
- Score & Grade: 69
Maria’s Mexican Grill offers Burritos, Fajitas, Quesadillas, and a lot more variety of Mexican food and Seafood. People in Milan City and around visit the restaurant for their great service and calm ambience.
On April 28, 2025, a health inspection was conducted at the restaurant from 11:20 am to 1 pm. During the health inspection, it was noticed that there were multiple food safety lapses within the premises, due to which the restaurant received a poor score.
Violations Observed at Maria’s
The health inspection report mentions foodborne illness risk factors observed at the restaurant. It was observed that the person in charge does not have active managerial control over the operations, which led to multiple violations.
The inspecting officer observed that the staff was handling a ready-to-eat hamburger bun after it was warming in the microwave without gloves. The inspector discussed proper NBHC procedure with the PIC and the employee during the inspection.
The inspector noticed that the employee was washing dishes in the Auto Chlor dish machine without proper sanitizing ppm. Chlorine Sanitizer was 0 ppm as the machine was not properly dispensing sanitizer. The inspector observed that chemicals were connected to the machine and advised staff to wash and rinse via the machine and sanitize in the 3-compartment sink.
As per the report, the temperatures need to be properly maintained while heating cheese dips, and cheese dip should be discarded after 4 hours. Some food items, such as sliced tomatoes ( 47 degrees), sour cream ( 48 degrees), tamales (49 degrees), and baked potatoes ( 48 degrees), were at different temperatures in a 2-door prep cooler.
The inspector observed that Continental 2-door cooler coils were frozen. The 2-door prep cooler air temperature was 50 degrees. So, the inspector instructed staff to move all food items from the 2 prep coolers to a second cooler. The staff was advised not to use the cooler until repaired and maintains proper temperature.
Bulk food containers were not labeled, as per the report. The officer noticed a live roach crawling on the wall behind the 2-door prep cooler. The wiping clothes were not stored in a sanitizing solution. It was also observed that the employee toilet tank lid was missing. The toilet flushing handle was broken and not functioning. The floors were not in good repair at the restaurant.
It was a routine inspection at Maria’s Mexican Grill, and as per the inspection report, a follow-up is needed; the date for which has not been announced. Meanwhile, the restaurant needs to work on the listed violations and fix them to get a good score in the follow-up inspection.
