EAST POINT, Ga. — A video recorded inside a LongHorn Steakhouse kitchen on Camp Creek Parkway is drawing widespread attention after showing what appears to be roaches, food debris and other unsanitary conditions in the restaurant.
The footage was recorded by Sean Headley, a former employee who said he worked at the East Point location beginning in April. Headley said he decided to document the kitchen after becoming frustrated with conditions he believed were unsafe for employees and customers.
The video shows food scraps and trash scattered around parts of the kitchen, along with a roach moving across the floor and what appears to be cooked food stored near a walk-in cooler.
Headley said the problems were not isolated to one day. He described what he believed were recurring sanitation and management issues and said he had raised concerns with restaurant leadership.
“I just had to speak up after a while,” Headley said.
He also raised concerns about employees handling or eating food from customer plates. Headley said he questioned coworkers about the practice and was concerned that management was not doing enough to stop it.
LongHorn says conditions have been addressed
LongHorn Steakhouse and its parent company, Darden Restaurants, said the conditions shown in the video are unacceptable.
The company said the footage was recorded months ago and that corrective steps have since been taken. A new leader has been placed at the restaurant, according to the company, with the goal of maintaining its food-safety and cleanliness standards.
The restaurant also said it receives regular pest-control treatments and has a professional cleaning crew working nightly.
Headley, however, said he wants to see longer-term improvements at the restaurant, including stronger management and better working conditions.
Health inspectors plan another visit
The viral video comes shortly after the restaurant’s most recent state health inspection.
The Georgia Department of Public Health inspected the East Point LongHorn on Aug. 25 and gave the restaurant a score of 90, which is an “A.” Inspection records from the previous two years show scores between 88 and 91.
Despite that recent passing inspection, the Fulton County Board of Health said it plans to revisit the restaurant after learning about the conditions shown in the video.
Officials have not yet announced when that follow-up inspection will take place or whether additional action will be taken.
The timing of the video has also been clarified. Headley said he recorded the footage in August, with later reporting placing his final day at the restaurant in the same period. The company gave a different account of his final clock-in date, creating some uncertainty around the exact date the footage was recorded.
What happens next
The additional health inspection could provide a clearer picture of whether the problems shown in the video were isolated conditions or violations that remain at the restaurant.
For now, the restaurant says the conditions shown have been addressed and that additional cleaning and pest-control measures are in place. Headley is calling for stronger oversight and improvements in the kitchen.
The East Point LongHorn Steakhouse is located at 3480 Camp Creek Parkway.
