LEIGHTON, Ala. – A rural, north Alabama restaurant, a small-town favorite among locals, scored a 67 on its most recent environmental food inspection.
News 19 knocked on their door during a hectic evening rush this week for Restaurant Ratings.
“I’m sure they have a reason,” said Leighton resident Tim Hill. “They have a job to do. I know these people. They have been great. We all make a mistake every once in a while. I’ll continue eating here.”
Hill says the Cozumel Mexican Grill in Leighton is an institution.
“The parking lot is full every night,” he said. “When it’s closed you have to drive to town to eat. The community has really supported it.”
To Hill, the restaurant is so good it doesn’t matter what violations they have on their low scoring environmental inspection.
“They have very good food, very good service,” Hill said. “We’re glad to have it in the community. I’m also a business owner right down the road. It’s a big asset to our community.”
The folks who run the restaurant didn’t want to say anything on camera for the story.
Cozumel Mexican Grill usually scores in the 90s.
Their staff say major violations include water found around a toilet.
Switching gears to a high-scoring Huntsville restaurant, Super Chix on Memorial Parkway.
Among their popular items are their Southwest chicken salad, a Korean barbecue chicken sandwich, and their regular chicken strips and fries.
Open before the COVID-19 pandemic, the restaurant’s marketing director says the last 14 months have been a roller coaster.
“Unprecedented but rewarding,” Lauren Cox said. “The restaurant industry definitely got hit hard because of the pandemic. With that we’ve come up with new ways to get our food to our consumers. Overall it’s been really rewarding.”
Super Chix brick and mortar location’s most recent score is 94.
