🛑 “Roaches, Rust, and Racism?”: A Closer Look at King’s Restaurant and Its Troubling Legacy

King’s Restaurant in Kinston, NC, has long been a landmark for barbecue lovers. But recent health inspection findings—and deeper community concerns—are forcing many to reconsider what’s really being served behind the scenes.

🧼 Health Inspection or Health Illusion?

On September 9, 2025, King’s Restaurant received a 92.5 from the Lenoir County Health Department. But the violations tell a different story:

• Live roaches and flies in the kitchen

• Dirty dishes, soiled equipment, and bacterial growth in storage areas

• Rusty shelves, missing cooler doors, and grease buildup throughout

• Improper food handling, including employees wearing watches and using Styrofoam cups as scoops

• Damaged ceilings, leaking sinks, and no paper towels at hand-washing stations

  
  

These are not minor oversights. These are systemic failures that endanger public health. And yet, the restaurant walked away with a score that suggests “A-OK.”

🧑‍💼 The Owner: Joe Hargitt

Joe Hargitt, the longtime owner of King’s, has been celebrated in the past as a community leader. But many now question how a restaurant under his leadership could fall into such disrepair—and still receive a passing grade.

⚖️ A Double Standard?

Several community members have raised concerns that Black-owned establishments in Kinston have historically faced harsher scrutiny from inspectors, while white-owned businesses like King’s seem to receive leniency—even when serious violations are documented.

“If this had been a Black-owned restaurant, they would’ve been shut down,” said one local resident. “We’ve seen it time and again—different rules for different people.”

This isn’t just about food safety. It’s about equity, accountability, and trust in the systems meant to protect everyone equally.

📣 A Call to Action

• To the Health Department: How can a restaurant with live roaches and bacterial growth receive a 92.5? The public deserves transparency in how scores are calculated.

• To the Community: Speak up. Demand fairness—not just in food safety, but in how all businesses are treated, regardless of who owns them.

• To Joe Hargitt: If you truly care about this community, prove it. Clean up your restaurant and commit to the same standards you’d expect from anyone else.

  
  

  Written and inspired by: Quarla Blackwell