South Carolina officials are advising restaurant owners to be careful after videos showing people conducting unofficial “secret audits” of restaurants started appearing all over social media.
The South Carolina Department of Agriculture reports that some social media content creators have been falsely claiming to be health inspectors to gain access to restaurant kitchens and film videos.
Officials say the videos typically feature someone walking through a restaurant’s kitchen, highlighting potential health code violations and falsely claiming to be conducting a surprise inspection or warning that the food could make people ill.
The department reported that at least one Instagram and YouTube account posting the videos has gained over 400,000 followers.
View this post on InstagramA post shared by JT Young (@dirtyrestaurantaudits)
Officials warn influencers posing as inspectors in viral restaurant videos
After spotting at least two South Carolina restaurants – one in Rock Hill – in online videos, officials grew worried and reached out to the businesses.
After the recent issues, the South Carolina Department of Agriculture reminded the public about how official inspections work and how restaurant employees can confirm someone’s credentials.
The agency shared on Facebook that inspectors should always start by introducing themselves and requesting to speak with the manager or owner before starting any inspection. They also emphasized that real inspectors will have official photo IDs issued by the department.
The department confirmed that inspectors can take photos during restaurant inspections, but they don’t continuously record video inside the restaurants.
If you’re unsure about someone claiming to be an inspector, you can contact our Retail Food Safety team to confirm their identity, the department stated.
So, the official word is this alert is supposed to help us restaurant folks know the difference between a real health inspection and some random person trying to wander into the kitchen. Basically, it’s about making sure we don’t accidentally let the wrong people back there – you know, keeping things safe and legit.
The department wants restaurant owners to confidently ask anyone claiming to be an inspector for ID before letting them into the kitchen.
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2026-03-06 00:48