From 50 rodent droppings found inside an oven to a cook seen wading through wastewater, state inspectors faced an array of restaurant violations across South Florida last week.
This resulted in four South Florida eateries forced to temporarily close — one in Broward and three in Palm Beach counties.
The South Florida Sun Sentinel typically highlights restaurant inspections conducted by the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation in Broward and Palm Beach counties. We cull through inspections that happen weekly and spotlight places ordered shut for violations such as improper food temperatures or cockroaches.
Any restaurant that fails a state inspection must stay closed until it passes a follow-up. If you spot a possible violation and wish to file a complaint, visit myfloridalicense.com. (But please don’t contact us: the Sun Sentinel doesn’t inspect restaurants.)
Broward County
Riverside Market Plantation
6900 Cypress Road, Plantation
Ordered shut: Sept. 8
Why: Seven violations (one high-priority), including:
• About 50 live flies “at the bar landing in beer taps, countertops and clean cups.”
• “Standing water in bottom of reach-in-cooler at the front beer keg coolers.”
• “Observed handwashing sink used to stored cups.”
Status: Reopened later the same day after a follow-up inspection found no violations.
Palm Beach County
One Thai Restaurant
4232 Northlake Blvd., Palm Beach Gardens
Ordered shut: Sept. 8
Why: 11 violations (five high-priority), including:
• About five rodent droppings at “server expo station” in cabinet and on floor.
• About 15 dead roaches “on glue trap on floor next to walk-in cooler and hot water heater.”
• About three live roaches “on floor coming out of hot water heater in front of walk-in cooler.”
• “Employee wiped face and after, without washing hands, employee handled plates of customer food.”
• “Raw shell eggs stored above cream.”
• Time/temperature issues involved tofu, cooked rice and cooked vegetable mix.
• “Throughout kitchen and walk-in cooler, various containers of food stored on floor.”
Status: Reopened Sept. 9 after a next-day visit found two basic violations.
IHOP
1503 Belvedere Road, West Palm Beach
Ordered shut: Sept. 10
Why: 15 violations (four high-priority), including:
• About 21 live flies “landing on dishwashing drying racks, shelves and under dishwasher on soiled dishes” and “in back of dish washing area … landing on wall and broom.”
• One dead roach on floor of “chemical storage room.”
• ” At entrance to kitchen under ice machine, floor drain backing up when hand washing sink in use, or ice machine draining water; area cannot be isolated, cook walking through water to walk-in cooler and cook line.”
• “At cook line, multiple pieces of cooking equipment and coolers soiled with accumulation of grease and food debris on sides.”
• “Objectionable odor coming from rear of ice machine near floor drain.”
Status: Reopened later that same day after a reinspection found eight basic violations.
Chops Lobster Bar
101 Plaza Real S., Boca Raton
Ordered shut: Sept. 8
Why: 26 violations (seven high-priority), including:
• About 50 rodent droppings “in oven in kitchen.”
• Six live roaches at cook line “on floor” and “in oven.”
• Three dead roaches in kitchen “on floor” and “inside single-door reach-in cooler at cookline.”
• About 10 live flies “flying and resting around floor drain in prep area.”
• “Observed milk opened more than 24 hours, per operator, stored in reach-in cooler without date marking.”
• “Interior of oven has accumulation of black substance/grease/food debris at cookline.”
• “Observed employee drinking from water bottle at cookline and handling clean utensils immediately after to stir sauces” without washing hands.
• “Pan of raw fish stored in drawer tracks with no separation underneath and above tray of cooked octopus.”
Status: Reopened Sept. 9 after a second visit found four basic violations.
Dining and Cooking