Official records confirm the restaurant remained open despite multiple prior warnings and sanitation failures.
SMNEWSNET.COM filed a Maryland Public Information Act (MPIA) request with the Maryland Department of Health seeking all food inspection reports from the past 12 months for Szechuan Garden, located at 11149 Mall Circle in Waldorf.
Those records reveal a long pattern of violations and state enforcement actions culminating in an emergency suspension of the restaurant’s food-service license on October 6, 2025.
Unlike several media outlets that published brief stories based on Facebook photos and viral TikTok clips, SMNEWSNET.COM obtained and reviewed the actual inspection reports to ensure the information presented here is factual, verifiable, and free of speculation.
During the October 6 inspection, state health officials documented live and dead cockroaches across nearly every part of the restaurant — in food-prep stations, refrigeration units, utensil storage areas, and dining spaces. Inspectors also found cockroach egg casings, fecal residue, grease buildup, and food debris coating walls, floors, and equipment surfaces.
They determined that active food preparation was taking place while staff were cleaning roaches and debris, prompting an immediate summary suspension of Szechuan Garden’s operating license under COMAR 10.15.03, Maryland’s food safety regulation covering imminent public-health threats.
The report further detailed:
Residential pesticides stored with food items and sugar packets.
Pooling water and broken floor tiles providing pest harborage.
Damaged refrigeration door gaskets and missing self-closing hinges on the walk-in cooler.
Utensils and wares stored in standing water at room temperature.
Contaminated Food Destroyed On-Site
Inspectors ordered the destruction of more than 100 quarts of contaminated food, including multiple meats, seafood, vegetables, noodles, and sauces.
An additional 55 pounds of cooked rice was discarded for temperature abuse — recorded at 47–48 °F, above the legal 41 °F limit.
Food-contact surfaces, prep tables, and equipment coated with cockroach droppings were deemed unsafe for use.
The Department of Health required Szechuan Garden to:
Discard all contaminated foods and single-use containers.
Deep-clean and sanitize the entire facility.
Hire licensed pest control and submit eradication documentation.
Seal all cracks, walls, and gaps where pests were entering.
Submit written sanitation and pest-management plans before requesting a reinspection.
Until those steps are completed and verified by the Maryland Department of Health, the restaurant must remain closed to the public.
Earlier inspections revealed ongoing problems, and official records show that this was not the first time Szechuan Garden had been cited for health-code violations in 2025:
April 8, 2025: Routine inspection found employees not washing hands with soap, raw meats stacked over vegetables, improper utensil sanitation, and bugs behind the ice machine.
April 15, 2025: Follow-up showed partial improvement, but dirty equipment, reused single-use items, and insects persisted.
April 24, 2025: Conditions temporarily corrected; refrigerator temperatures were in range and the facility was marked compliant.
By October, the same unsanitary conditions had returned and significantly worsened, leading to the restaurant’s closure.
After the state inspection, Charles County’s Code Enforcement Division and Department of Health posted closure notices on the restaurant’s door, a yellow “Danger / No Entry” sign from the county and a red suspension notice signed by Health Officer Dr. Dianna E. Abney citing “unsanitary conditions — food and prep areas contaminated by cockroaches.”
The shutdown followed a viral TikTok video posted October 4, 2025, by user @Bzblyluv, which showed insects crawling near the front register. That clip drew hundreds of comments and prompted a flood of health-department complaints.
We obtained the full reports directly from the Maryland Department of Health through a formal Freedom of Information (MPIA) request filed on October 8, 2025.
Our reporting is based solely on verified state documents and not on screenshots or speculation.
This ensures the public receives accurate, complete, and independently confirmed information about the cause of the closure, the scope of violations, and the restaurant’s history of repeat offenses.
The official documents confirm that the Szechuan Garden closure was the result of severe and repeat sanitation failures verified by state health inspectors, not just public complaints or online videos.
The restaurant’s license will remain suspended until all violations are corrected and the Maryland Department of Health approves reopening.
We will continue to monitor this case and report on any future inspections, enforcement updates, or reinstatement actions once official records are released.
