You guessed right: International House of Pancakes.
Over the summer, a long-standing IHOP on James Island closed its doors for good – and the reason for the abrupt closure has left Charleston, South Carolina residents astonished.
The restaurant, located at 771 Daniel Ellis Drive, closed after receiving an alarming 11 straight “C” grades from the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control. The most recent inspection before it closed found a variety of food-safety violations, including inappropriate food temperatures, cross-contamination hazards, and indications of bugs in the kitchen.
Specific examples include: “Consecutive violation: Walk-in cooler: cut tomato, roasted tomato, mashed potato, and cut ham held for more than 7 days.” “Shredded lettuce (open bag) with no datemark.” and “Liquid eggs on ice, unable to withstand temperatures of 41 degrees Fahrenheit or lower, with no time stamp.” Liquid eggs at 58 degrees Fahrenheit.”
To put it in context, “C” is the lowest possible score for a restaurant. On a 100-point scale, a “A” is 87 points or higher, a “B” is 78 to 87 points, and a “C” is 77 or lower.
For more than a decade, the James Island branch had provided IHOP’s signature breakfast items such as pancakes and omelets, but its reputation had dwindled as unfavorable reviews piled up. After it shuttered, one Facebook user wrote, “I’m honestly surprised IHOP James Island stayed in business that long!”
The situation was so awful that a Reddit thread was formed about it. There was a lot of love for Waffle House, with comments like “This location is nasty.”
Believe it or not, the IHOP shutdown was voluntary rather than imposed by health inspectors.
On the plus side, other IHOP locations, such as the two in North Charleston, receive higher marks. Both of those locations (7361 Mazyck Rd and 4936 Center Point Dr) appear to have received “A” ratings in their most recent inspections. Even national businesses with a large number of high-scoring locations can struggle at one store. The Daniel Ellis Drive IHOP looks to have been one of those establishments.
