DaBaby’s food business has a new reason to be in the conversation, and this time the attention is coming from its health inspection score. The latest No Knife inspection, conducted Monday, September 21, at a No Knife Chicken & Waffles food establishment at 3500 Latrobe Drive in Charlotte, resulted in a 94.5 percent score. According to the Mecklenburg County Food Establishment Inspection Report, the facility received 5.5 points in total deductions, had four risk factor or intervention violations, and recorded no repeat risk factor violations.
The same report shows inspectors found several food safety issues, but it also documents multiple corrections made while the inspection was still underway. An employee was observed putting on gloves without first washing their hands. The employee removed the gloves and washed their hands. Raw shell eggs were stored above waffle batter that did not contain raw egg, and staff reorganized the storage. Inspectors also found raw whiting fish at 52 degrees after it had been washed and marinated. The fish was discarded.
According to the No Knife inspection report, date marking and cooling practices also drew attention. Multiple trays of cooked pasta in the walk-in cooler did not have date labels, and the facility was allowed to add them. Inspectors also saw prepped chicken being moved for cooling in a high-volume, double-wrapped container that measured 66 degrees. The report says staff were coached on a new cooling procedure using a speed rack and sheet trays.
Not every observation was marked as corrected during the visit. The person in charge could not locate a thin probe thermometer, and the report marked that item for verification, with October 1 listed on the paperwork. Inspectors also observed multiple flies in the kitchen and a non-food-grade container being used for raw fish. A box of food stored on the floor was removed during the inspection. The report therefore supports saying several violations were corrected on site, rather than saying every cited issue was fully closed before inspectors left.
A second No Knife inspection produced the exact same score just three days earlier. On September 18, inspectors visited the establishment at 700 Atando Avenue, the North Charlotte address listed on No Knife Chicken & Waffles’ official website, and gave it a 94.5 percent score. That inspection report listed seven risk factor or intervention violations and zero repeat violations.
According to that report, inspectors documented handwashing concerns, improper glove use, visible debris on dishes being stored as clean, reheating issues, hot-held foods below required temperatures, and an eight-day date-marking problem. Several of those items were corrected during the inspection. Inspectors also noted flies, food stored on the floor, a damp wiping cloth on a prep table, wet stacked dishes, and a dumpster positioned on grass or soil instead of a smooth, nonabsorbent surface. The paperwork said noncompliant items would need to be compliant by December 28, 2026.
The No Knife inspection scores give the restaurant a fresh talking point at a time when social media is still debating its specialty waffle prices. No Knife celebrated its grand opening on September 6. The restaurant’s current official menu lists a Plain Jane waffle at $15 and specialty waffles including Banana Pudding, Peach Cobbler, Red Velvet, and Sweet Potato at $25.
The viral Soulfood Cornbread Waffle is listed at $45 and says the order includes four wings, a savory cornbread waffle, collard greens, candied yams, and gravy. The $45 version did not include chicken, and six wings could be added for another $10. The current listing indicates the signature offering has changed since the first wave of price criticism.
The reaction has remained split between people who think the menu costs too much and customers who see the specialty concept as part of the experience.
DaBaby offered his own answer to the criticism during a local television appearance.
“They shoulda went to Waffle House. Waffle House has something for you.” He also described No Knife as an “elevated dining experience” and added, “This isn’t just flour and water.” For a restaurant that has already turned waffles into a social media argument, two 94.5 percent inspection scores in a matter of days add a different kind of number to the conversation.
