Inspection Rating Scores
DHEC's Division of Food Protection oversees the permitting and inspection of over 16,664 retail food establishments in South Carolina. The establishments include a wide variety of food industries such as restaurants, delicatessens, school cafeterias, grocery stores, retail meat markets, bakeries and seafood markets. We undertake this responsibility on your behalf as we work to prevent disease and protect and promote the health of the people in South Carolina.
When you enter a business that sells food, you will see one of the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control Food Safety Inspection stickers. The food safety ratings in South Carolina are based on a numerical score and identified as A, B or C. Grades of establishments shall be as follows:
Grade A - An establishment having a rating score of 88-100 points. These facilities typically exhibit very good to acceptable levels of sanitation during an unannounced routine inspection.
Grade B - An establishment having a rating score of 78-87 points. These facilities typically exhibit acceptable to marginal levels of sanitation during an unannounced routine inspection.
Grade C - An establishment having a rating score of 77-70 points. These facilities typically exhibit poor to marginal levels of sanitation during an unannounced routine inspection.
Inspections (pdf) are performed in accordance with S.C. Regulation 61-25. The sanitation level of any establishment can vary from one inspection to the next. The grade posted represents the level encountered during the last inspection.
By using the search function below, you can find the scores for your favorite eating establishments. You can find the score of the individual restaurant by entering the name of the restaurant. You can also find the scores for all restaurants in a city/county by using the sign (%) instead of a particular restaurant name. (For e.g. to find scores for all restaurants in Columbia, enter % instead of a restaurant name.) We hope that you will bookmark this site and refer to it whenever you plan to eat out in South Carolina.
Important Notice:
The information on this web page is designed to give consumers an indication of a food establishment's sanitation level during an inspection performed by our food inspection staff. The inspection results give consumers a snap shot in time of an establishment's sanitation and cleanliness procedures. It should not be assumed that the inspection results reflect how an establishment always operates. Consumers may draw their own conclusions from the information on this site.
While we make every effort to keep the information on this web site current, the user must recognize that inspections are occurring continuously. As a result, the grades provided on this site may occasionally differ from those found posted at the facility.