Tipton County health inspectors made 19 visits to 15 restaurants and other food establishments the week of Sept. 20-26.

One Covington buffet posted the week’s lowest score, but a same-day recheck brought its grade back up.

Everything else came in at 97 or better.

Lowest score: Ming’s Buffet & Grill

Ming’s Buffet & Grill, 1655 Highway 51 in Covington, scored an 82 on a routine inspection Sept. 25 — the week’s lowest mark. Inspectors cited nine problems, including:

• A dented can of sliced peaches, embargoed on the spot, and chicken wings and frog legs thawing in floor totes instead of under running water.
• Damp rags left on counters, pans stacked while still wet, and a black, mold-like residue inside a piece of kitchen equipment.
• No soap or towels at the handwashing sink, an unlabeled spray bottle, no thermometer in the chest freezer, and food stored on the freezer floor.

Inspectors returned the same day. Three problems — the paper towels, the dented can and the spray bottle — had been fixed. The other six had not, and the follow-up score rose to 94.

Other follow-up inspections

Five other establishments were rechecked this week:

• Days Inn Motel, Covington: 95 to 99. A mislabeled cleaning bottle was fixed; a missing phone in two guest rooms was not.
• Atoka Elementary Cafeteria, Atoka: 95 to 100. A dented can of green beans was embargoed and the issue was fully resolved by the recheck.
• Captain D’s, Covington: 97 to 99. An empty soap dispenser was fixed; wet-stacked plastic containers were not.
• Sake vs Tekila of Covington: held at 95. This recheck followed a Sept. 15 routine inspection, also scored 95. Inspectors found the dish machine wasn’t reaching a high enough temperature to sanitize, and the county has requested a closure letter for the machine. The recheck ran past the state’s 10-day window because the inspector was out sick.
• A second, separate permit at the same Sake vs Tekila of Covington address posted the week’s biggest turnaround: 71 to 95, following its own Sept. 15 routine inspection. Cleaning and storage problems were cited, then had all been fixed.

Everything else scored 97 or better

It’s Cobberlin Time, Rainbow Squeezed Lemonade, Hot Dog Express and Red White & Brew — all mobile units at the Heritage Festival in Covington — scored 100, 99, 97 and 99. TCB Concessions, a mobile unit inspected in Drummonds, scored 97.

Charger Academy in Covington scored 98. Peach Cobbler Factory in Atoka, Starbucks Coffee #86611 in Munford, and Forest Hill Golf Course in Drummonds scored 97, 99, and 99.

All 19 inspection reports are on file with the Tennessee Department of Health and reflect conditions observed on the date of inspection only.