Perfect scores served: How health inspections work and which restaurants earned top marks
Restaurants across Buford, Sugar Hill and Suwanee earned perfect scores during health inspections conducted throughout the year, reflecting strong food safety practices and compliance with state regulations.
Food service inspections in Gwinnett County are conducted by the Gwinnett County Health Department, which oversees restaurants, school cafeterias, senior living facilities and other establishments where food is prepared or served.
Most inspections are unannounced, allowing inspectors to observe normal daily operations. During each visit, inspectors evaluate food storage and temperature control, food handling and preparation practices, cleanliness of kitchens and equipment, employee hygiene, pest prevention and overall facility maintenance.
Inspection scores range from 0 to 100, with a score of 100 indicating full compliance and no violations observed at the time of inspection. Lower scores reflect violations identified during the visit. When issues are found, establishments are typically required to correct them promptly, and a follow-up inspection may be conducted to verify compliance.
Health inspection reports are public records intended to inform consumers rather than penalize businesses. Scores reflect conditions observed on the day of inspection and may vary from visit to visit based on staffing, customer volume and operational conditions.
Restaurants earning perfect scores this year
The following restaurants received a perfect score of 100 during inspections conducted at various points throughout the year:
- Arby’s #5590, Buford, and #9051, Buford
- Cafe Blue at Mall of Georgia, Buford
- Cava, Buford
- Central City Tavern, Buford
- Chicken Salad Chick, Buford
- Dairy Queen, Buford
- Diesel Tap House, Buford
- Dunkin’ Donuts, Suwanee
- Echo, Suwanee
- Genesis Ballroom, Suwanee
- Get Lit Nutrition, Buford
- Grandma’s NY Pizza, Suwanee
- Great China, Buford
- Häagen-Dazs (Mall of Georgia), Buford
- Island Fin Poké, Buford
- Kenzo Japanese Restaurant, Buford
- Kitchen Momoi, Suwanee
- Kukga Topokki Food Truck, Suwanee
- L2C Grill, Buford
- La Niña Michoacana Pop, Buford
- LandShark Bar & Grill, Buford
- Marco’s Pizza, Buford
- McDonald’s, Buford and Sugar Hill
- Moe’s Southwest Grill, Buford
- Panda Express, Suwanee
- Paradise Beach Cantina (all venues), Buford
- Pizza Di Folgo, Buford
- Planet Smoothie, Buford
- Rico’s World Kitchen (Downtown), Buford
- Sally’s Kitchen Thai & Lao Food, Buford
- Sally’s Old Fashioned Steak ’n Shake, Buford
- Shark Shack (all venues), Buford
- Spice Wing Sugar Hill, Sugar Hill
- Starbucks, Buford and Suwanee
- Taco Mac, Buford
- The Cheesecake Factory, Buford
- The Dawg House Burgers & More, Buford
- The Taco Guy, Buford
- Topgolf, Buford
- Tropical Smoothie Cafe, Buford
- Wei, Buford
- Wingstop, Buford
- Your Pie, Buford
Editor’s note: Health inspection information is provided by the Gwinnett County Health Department. Scores reflect conditions observed at the time of inspection and may vary throughout the year.
