Three Charlotte Restaurants Score Below A Grade

Mecklenburg County inspectors gave Food For Thought, Ruby Tuesday and 800 Degrees lower-than-A sanitation grades in early November.

Updated on Nov. 5, 2026 in Dining Out

Three Charlotte Restaurants Score Below A Grade

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Mecklenburg County sanitation inspectors gave three Charlotte restaurants grades below an A during inspections conducted between Oct. 30 and Nov. 5. Food For Thought, Ruby Tuesday and 800 Degrees Woodfired Kitchen/Bar One Lounge each received a B.

Why it matters

Inspection scores are a public record that diners can check before choosing where to eat, and the results cover one of the largest local restaurant reviews in recent weeks. For Charlotte diners, the grades offer a current snapshot of sanitation performance across the county's dining scene.

Each of the three restaurants scored between 87.5% and 89%, below the 90% threshold for an A grade. This was the first non-A grade for Food For Thought and Ruby Tuesday, while 800 Degrees received another B in 2025.

The players

Mecklenburg County Sanitation Inspectors

The county health inspectors who conduct routine food safety inspections and assign restaurant grades across Charlotte and surrounding areas.

The details

Food For Thought, located at 5700 Westpark Drive, scored 89% on Oct. 30. Ruby Tuesday at 8905 Red Oak Blvd. scored 87.5% on Nov. 2, and 800 Degrees Woodfired Kitchen/Bar One Lounge at 6815 Phillips Place Ct., Unit A1, scored 88.5% on Nov. 3.

Oct. 30, 2026: Food For Thought inspected and scored 89%.
Nov. 2, 2026: Ruby Tuesday inspected and scored 87.5%.
Nov. 3, 2026: 800 Degrees inspected and scored 88.5%.
Nov. 5, 2026: Inspection window closed for the 117-restaurant review.

Seasonal Patterns

North Carolina's 70% permit revocation threshold means scores in the high 80s, like these three, fall far above the point of enforced closure. Such grades are a routine part of the county's graded inspection system rather than emergency action.

Charlotte diners can check current scores through the county's restaurant inspection search before choosing where to eat. Grades below an A do not mean a restaurant is unsafe to visit, but they do signal areas flagged during inspection.

The takeaway

Checking a restaurant's most recent inspection score before dining out is a simple way to see how it performed. Scores in the high 80s indicate a B grade, while 90% and above earns an A.