Bourbon, Barbecue, and a Few Burnt Biscuits — Week of August 3–9, 2026
Another week in the books, Louisville, and your friendly neighborhood food safety nerds have combed through 177 inspections so you don't have to. From gold-star kitchens to a few spots that need to check their fridge thermometers (looking at you, several places today), here's what went down between August 3 and August 9.
LouVUE by the Numbers
- Total inspections: 177
- Regular inspections: 163
- Follow-ups: 12
- Other: 2
A Quick Refresher on How the Grades Work in the Ville
- Grade A (green): A passing grade indicating a generally safe facility. Score of 85–100 with no priority violations — serious issues most likely to cause foodborne illness, such as improper food holding temperatures.
- Grade B (blue): Facility is "under review" while health officials work with them to pass future routine inspections. Issued after failing two routine inspections in a row, or automatically during a follow-up inspection if the facility had to close because of an imminent health hazard (regardless of prior grades). Patrons should be mindful.
- Grade C (red): Facility has failed its inspection. Issued for any of these reasons: (1) one or more priority violations, such as poor hygienic practices, lack of hot/cold water, or improper sanitizing — even with a score as high as 98; (2) score below 85 due to a high number of non-priority violations; or (3) an imminent health hazard requiring closure (e.g., infestation, loss of electricity or water). These are serious and require a follow-up within 7–10 days.
- Priority violations: High risk for foodborne illness. Even one is enough to drop a place to a C.
Second Servings: Redemption Arcs and Second Helpings
Louisville came back swinging this week — most of our follow-up crew turned things around nicely:
- Franciscan Communities Healthcare Ctr, Popeye's Louisiana Kitchen #12683, Christi's Cafe, Most Blessed Sacrament, and Olive Garden #1852 all bounced from C to a perfect 100. That's what we call sticking the landing.
- Stars Coffee Shop, Trinity House #2 Christian Childcare, Jade Garden, Graeter's Ice Cream, and Aspen Creek also climbed back to A's — Graeter's fans can breathe easy, your scoop is safe.
- Murray's Creole Pub hit 100 on the follow-up but still carries a B grade for now — a reminder that grades reflect a process, not just one good day. Keep it up and full clearance should follow.
- Dollar General #7153 scored a strong 99 on its follow-up, grade pending.
Good job, y'all. That's a lot of comeback stories for one week.
Cautionary Cuisine: Fridge Temps Gone Rogue
Not every plate came out clean this week. Here's who landed on the C-list and why:
Sweet Havana — Score: 86
- Spoiled flan dated over a week old still on hand
- Soiled can opener — a food-contact surface that wasn't properly cleaned and sanitized
- Fried papas and other hot items held at just 113°F, far below the required 135°F
- Milk, tres leches, and flan sitting at 53°F in the reach-in cooler — well above the 41°F safety line
LouVUE's Take: Four separate priority violations is a rough week for any kitchen. Temperature control issues across both hot and cold holding, plus expired dessert still on the line, suggest this one needs more than a quick fix. We'll be watching for that follow-up.
Tony's Pizza Cafe — Score: 91
- Roaches spotted under a cart between the pizza oven and cooler
- Pizza sauce, cheese, and pepperoni sitting between 45–50°F, above safe holding temps
LouVUE's Take: A high score doesn't cancel out a pest sighting — roaches near food prep areas is exactly the kind of thing that earns an automatic C, no matter how good the crust is.
KFC Y052-049 (Bardstown Rd) — Score: 95
- Coleslaw found at 56°F and 65°F, shredded cheese at 60°F — all well above the 41°F cutoff
LouVUE's Take: Some items got tossed, others got a temp check and a second chance — solid on-the-spot correction, but the initial numbers were enough to trigger the C.
Cuddles 2 Cuddles — Score: 89
- Infant fridge holding at 62–64°F — dangerously warm for anything meant to stay cold
LouVUE's Take: This one's notable because it's not even a restaurant fridge — it's for infant food/formula, which raises the stakes. Definitely one to watch on follow-up.
Morris Deli — Score: 88
- No critical violation details listed this round, but the score alone landed them a C.
LouVUE's Take: Sometimes it's death by a thousand paper cuts — a string of smaller issues can add up just as fast as one big one.
The Check, Please: Keep Your Cool, Louisville
The theme this week? Temperature, temperature, temperature. From coleslaw to flan to infant formula, more than half our C-grades trace back to food sitting in the danger zone. Before your next carryout order, a quick LouVUE search never hurts. Eat well, Louisville — and stay cool out there (your fridge included).