Local

Uptown restaurant cited for dozens of violations reopens

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Channel 9 exposed the health inspection in June that shut down Pho Plus, an uptown Charlotte restaurant.

The county health department said the restaurant received a permit to reopen under new ownership, but is only supposed to be doing take-out orders for now.

It appeared people were dining in Wednesday.

The Mecklenburg County Health Department issued a new permit but has not yet inspected the new business. Inspectors have until Monday to do so.

Pho Plus has the same signs and menu, though the new owners are changing it to a new concept called Pudina, and say they will have a new menu.

The restaurant is located in the Brevard Court next to Romare Bearden Park.

"We had three times of deep cleanout, and we have a service that we do weekly where a person comes in from Orkin, the pest control,” owner Srini Kolla said. “They do a weekly spraying."

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The Mecklenburg County Health Department shut the restaurant down after citing it for 53 violations.

A health inspector said he found roaches, fruit flies and house flies in the basement kitchen. He also said he found rodent droppings on bags of single-service items like carry-out utensils and tableware, and chicken stored on the floor.

The findings resulted in an immediate suspension in June.

The inspector also cited the restaurant because a worker washed their hands for less than 15 seconds while another did not use soap.

Channel 9 reporter Joe Bruno broke this story on Twitter and spoke with those who said they expected better from a restaurant in such a good location.

“I have never eaten there, but if you told me there were roaches and people not washing their hands, I am not going to,” said one resident after the restaurant closed.

The restaurant will get a health score when the first inspection is done in the next few days.

It had to be inspected to get a permit to open, but didn’t get an actual score because the kitchen wasn’t operating.

In the meantime, the new owner said the new signs showing the restaurant's new name should be in place in the next few weeks.

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