Restaurant Inspections: Roaches, Rodents, Dirty Ice Machine

The Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation ordered emergency closures at three area eateries last week when conditions inside didn’t hold up to state guidelines for health and safety.

Live roaches, dirty conditions, unsafe food storage and evidence of rodents were among the biggest reasons behind the temporary closings. In its Emergency Closures report for the week ending April 24, the state noted these local restaurants had been ordered shut until they cleaned up their acts:

Brandon

Cheddar’s Casual Café, 11135 Causeway Blvd.

• Initial inspection date – April 21
• High priority violations – 5
• Intermediate violations – 4
• Basic violations – 13

The inspector noted a number of minor concerns, including an accumulation of debris on a dishwasher, a cutting board that was so heavily used it could no longer be cleaned and a missing ceiling tile. The big concerns, however, included potentially hazardous temperature controls for food and small flying insects found on the premises. Rodent activity was also discovered with two semi-dry droppings found by the dishwashing area and “20 semi-dry in bar area.” The eatery met state inspection standards during a follow-up visit on April 21.

Tampa

Tace Lounge, 14380 N. Dale Mabry Highway

• Initial inspection date – April 20
• High priority violations – 6
• Intermediate violations – 9
• Basic violations – 16

A dirty walk-in freezer floor, employee failure to wash hands and dead roaches in numerous locations all caught the inspector’s attention. High priority concerns included raw animal food stored over ready-to-eat food and small flying insects. Live roaches were also found in abundance, the state inspector noted. Three critters were spotted near the cook line, 12 on the wheels of a reach-in cooler, one on the cook line floor and 12 more in a reach-in cooler door hinge on the cook line. Other roaches were found under the sink, by the dish machine and on a soap dispenser. The establishment failed three follow-up inspections before meeting state standards on April 23.

Lakeland

Hallback’s Bar & Grill, 3900 Don Emerson Drive

• Initial inspection date – April 21
• High priority violations – 5
• Intermediate violations – 6
• Basic violations – 8

A dirty ice machine, no hot water at the employee hand wash sink and improperly maintained equipment caught the inspector’s attention. High priority concerns included improper food storage temperatures, flying insects near the cook line and the discovery of roaches. Live roaches were found behind a cooler next to the food production area and behind a freezer. The establishment was allowed to reopen on April 22, but the inspector noted the need for another follow-up.

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