In first week of year, no Polk restaurants are gigged for pests. But 8 require follow-ups
The new year started with another good week overall for Polk County restaurants. In the period from Jan. 1 to 7, not a single food vendor received violations for rodents, roaches or other insects, according to state inspection reports.
Of 43 total inspections for the first week of the year, four restaurants received perfect initial inspections, but eight failed to meet standards, receiving warnings or administrative complaints that required a follow-up inspection.
>> INTERACTIVE: Explore all restaurant inspections in Polk County.
As we said at the beginning of the year, we would begin focusing the restaurant-inspection reports on restaurants that required those follow-ups and offering more detail about why. Not all violations are the same, even if the end result is the same., and from Jan. 1 to 7, the violations were for a wide range of offenses, from sanitary problems, to broken or inoperable equipment and even clerical issues, such as licenses or training. In fact, four of the restaurants that require follow-ups only had a single violation related to food-manager certification.
As always, remember that an inspection report is “a ‘snapshot’ of conditions present at the time of the inspection,” according to the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation. “An inspection conducted on any given day may not be representative of the overall, long-term conditions at the establishment.”
Restaurants requiring follow-up
Nom Nom Enterprise LLC, 113 W. Badcock Blvd., Mulberry: On Jan. 5, the restaurant had four violations, one of them high priority. That was for a dishmachine that wasn’t sanitizing at full strength. The restaurant went to manual sanitizing until the dishmachine is repaired. An intermediate violation was for not having a sanitizer test kit at the three-compartment sink. And there were two basic violations: One for debris on the outside of a dishmachine, and another for a wet-wiping cloth that wasn’t stored in sanitizing solution between uses.
Dec. 25-30: In a light week of inspections, 4 Polk restaurants fall short of standards. One is perfect
HGI Lakeland Great American Grill, 3839 Don Emerson Drive, Lakeland: On Jan. 4, during a callback required by an October inspection, the restaurant received five violations. One intermediate violation was for the manager lacking proof of certification. There were four basic violations: debris on the top of the dishwasher, lights in the walk-in freezer that were unshielded, a soiled exterior on a grill, and a case of napkins that was stored on the floor in a dry storage area. Another follow-up is required.
Diego's Taqueria, mobile food vendor, 3074 Rifle Range Road, Wahneta: On Jan. 5, the mobile vendor received two intermediate violations. One was for a lack of proof of state-mandated employee training. The other was ready-to-eat, temperature controlled food wasn’t properly dated in the reach-in cooler.
El Buen Taco LLC, mobile food vendor, 3044 State Road 60 E., Lake Wales: On Jan. 4, the food truck had four violations, one intermediate and three basic. The intermediate was for no proof of mandated employee training. The three basic violations were for standing water in the three-compartment sink, soiled shelves in a reach-in cooler and garbage on the ground around the exterior of the truck.
Smokin' Ox Premium BBQ, mobile food vendor, 620 Lake Elizabeth Drive, Winter Haven: On Jan. 5, the mobile vendor received a single violation for an expired food manager certification. The intermediate violation required a follow-up inspection. As of Jan. 12, no follow-up appeared in state reports.
Impact Café, 1201 Burns Ave, Lake Wales: On Jan. 4, its only violation was for an expired food-manager certification. The intermediate violation still requires a follow-up.
China Express, 807 Eagle Ridge Drive, Lake Wales: On Jan. 3, the restaurant’s only violation was for lacking proof of manager’s food certification. The intermediate violation requires a follow-up.
Neighbor's Restaurant, 621 Magnolia Ave., Auburndale: In a Jan. 3 callback, necessitated by violations in November, the restaurant received two intermediate violations. One was for a paper towel dispenser at a handwash sink not working. The other was for failing to provide proof of required state training for employees. Another follow-up was ordered.
Dec. 18-24: 8 Polk restaurants failed to meet standards the week before Christmas. 5 were perfect
Perfect inspections
It’s tough to get a perfect inspection with zero violations. Here are four Polk County food vendors that did just that from Jan. 1 to 7. The list does not include restaurants that were perfect in a follow-up mandated by previous violations.
Mayaki Izakaya, 6035 U.S. 17-92 N., Davenport
Morena's Cakes And More LLC, 586 Ave C S.E., Winter Haven
Krispy Krunchy Chicken, 1795 Berkley Road, Auburndale
El Taviche, mobile food vendor, 1100 U.S. 17-92 N., Haines City
Keep in mind as you read
Remember that in some cases, violations are noted are technical issues not directly linked to hygiene or cleanliness. Remember, too, that broken refrigerators, chipped tiles or fast work may add up to unintended mistakes.
Regardless, if you notice abuses of state standards, report them and DBPR will send inspectors. Call 850-487-1395.
The terminology
What does all that terminology in state restaurant inspections mean?
Basic violations are those considered against best practices.
A warning is issued after an inspector documents violations that must be corrected by a certain date or within a specified number of days from receipt of the inspection report.
An administrative complaint is a form of legal action taken by the division. Insufficient compliance after a warning, a pattern of repeat violations or existence of serious conditions that warrant immediate action may result in the division initiating an administrative complaint against the establishment. Says the division website: “Correcting the violations is important, but penalties may still result from violations corrected after the warning time was over.”
An emergency order — when a restaurant is closed by the inspector — is based on an immediate threat to the public. Here, the Division of Hotels and Restaurants director has determined that the establishment must stop doing business and any division license is suspended to protect health, safety or welfare of the public.
A 24-hour call-back inspection will be performed after an emergency closure or suspension of license and the establishment may reopen only after inspection shows that all high-priority violations that caused the suspension are corrected.
This article originally appeared on The Ledger: 8 Polk restaurants fail to meet standards in first week of 2024
