Key Takeaways
- LongHorn Steakhouse called the conditions at its East Point, Georgia, restaurant “unacceptable,” installed new leadership, and said it addressed the problems after a former employee’s kitchen video went viral.
- The location scored 99 out of 100 on Sept. 14, just three days after inspectors gave it a 78 for handwashing, plumbing, food-storage, and cleanliness violations.
- Former employee Sean Headley said he filmed roaches, overflowing trash, and servers eating from customers’ plates after managers ignored his complaints, though inspection reports from October 2025 through September 2026 cited no pests.
LongHorn Steakhouse is pointing to a near-perfect health score after a former employee’s video appeared to show cockroaches, overflowing trash, and dirty floors inside one of its Georgia kitchens.
The steakhouse chain told USA Today that it has addressed the problems at its Camp Creek Parkway restaurant in East Point, that new leadership is in place, and that the location scored 99 out of 100 on its latest inspection. That result, however, came just three days after the same restaurant scored a 78.
The Sept. 11 inspection identified violations involving handwashing, plumbing, and food storage. An employee was reportedly seen moving from dirty equipment to clean items without washing their hands, while uncovered salads were exposed to possible contamination and several cartons of half-and-half were expired.
Inspectors also found food residue inside a cooler, soiled equipment, and “black soiled debris” inside ice-bin lids. Water was also draining onto the kitchen floor.
By Sept. 14, the restaurant had raised its score to 99. The only remaining violation involved a soiled cooler shelf—a surface that did not directly touch food—which was cleaned during the inspection.
“The conditions shown are unacceptable and have been addressed,” LongHorn said in a statement. “We continue to take the necessary steps to ensure a safe experience for our guests and team members.” The company added that it had “recently placed new leadership in the restaurant” to enforce its standards.
Former employee Sean Headley said he recorded the viral footage on Aug. 19, his final day at the restaurant, after his complaints to managers and corporate officials went nowhere. The videos appeared to show cockroaches moving across the kitchen floor, garbage spilling from containers, and servers eating food from plates before delivering it to customers.
“Really, it was the work environment and the conditions that we were working in,” Headley told Fox 5 Atlanta. “There were a lot of inhumane conditions.”
He said requests for basic supplies and warnings about possible health hazards were dismissed.
The inspection history adds another layer to the dispute. The East Point restaurant received a 90 on Aug. 25—less than a week after Headley said he filmed the kitchen—before falling to 78 on Sept. 11 and rebounding to 99 three days later.
None of the location’s inspection reports between Oct. 31, 2025, and Sept. 14, 2026, cited cockroaches or other pests. The absence of a pest citation stands in sharp contrast to Headley’s footage, which generated millions of views and forced the kitchen’s condition into public view.
LongHorn has faced other food-safety problems in recent years. A different Atlanta restaurant received an unsatisfactory 61 in December 2025 after inspectors found uncovered raw steaks, undercooked salmon, and several foods stored at unsafe temperatures.
In 2024, a Shigella outbreak linked to a LongHorn in Fairview Heights, Illinois, sickened 120 people, hospitalized 14 and led to lawsuits.
