One had almost 300 rodent droppings

PALM BEACH COUNTY

Mckenna’s Place
4068 Forest Hill Blvd., Palm Springs

Ordered shut: Feb. 6

Why: 23 violations (nine high-priority), including:

• About 26 flies in kitchen areas flying around dish machine, prep area and “expo line/window to cook line,” as well as “behind bar flying around/landing on tap beer dispensers.”
• One dead roach “on cook line prep table in front of steam table.”
• “Objectionable odor in bar area.”
• “Employee touched hair and then handled clean plates of food while carrying to customers without washing hands.”
• “Employee touched visibly soiled wiping cloth and then handled clean utensils and plates to prepare and serve food to customers without washing hands.”
• “Employee handled soiled dishes and utensils while scraping and rinsing at dish area and then handled plated food at expo line without washing hands.”
• Stop sale ordered for raw, in-shell clams because there was “no tag on/for original container” and for chicken wings in a walk-in cooler stored in an uncovered container “under wastewater drain line coming from fan unit water dripping onto chicken wings.”
• “At walk-in cooler, raw hamburger stored over cooked rice, raw beef stored over cooked pork ribs, raw chicken stored over cooked chicken.”

Status: Reopened Feb. 7 after a second visit found eight violations (one high-priority) and required a follow-up inspection. A third visit on Feb. 10 found four basic violations.

Flavor of India
1516 N. Dixie Highway, Lake Worth Beach

Ordered shut: Feb. 6

Why: 10 violations (two high-priority). including:

• Twenty-five rodent droppings “in the corner of the bottom shelf of dry food storage room,” “next to whole coriander bag” and “on shelf between two large pots stored in dry food storage room.”
• “Gnaw marks on whole coriander bag resulted in hole in the bag.”
• “Chef preparing food without any hair restraint for loose head hair.”
• “Bag of rice stored on floor in dry food storage room. Bag of carrots stored on floor in walk-in cooler.”

Status: Reopened later the same day after a second visit found one basic violation. A third visit that day found two violations (one high-priority), requiring another follow-up inspection.

BROWARD COUNTY

The House on the River
301 SW Third Ave., Fort Lauderdale

Ordered shut: Feb. 6

Why: Five violations (two high-priority), including:

• About 68 flies landing in areas such as on “the cork board over the chef’s prep table,” “on the utensil storage rack over the prep sink in the kitchen,” “on a pair of tongs on the utensil storage rack,” “on a plate on the cook line,” “on the cutting board of the seafood station of the cook line,” “on clean utensils over the triple sink in the ware-washing room separate from the kitchen,” “on the shelves in the storage area for the plates and serving platters in the ware-washing room” and “on clean plates and serving platters” there.
• Seven live roaches “under the fryer” and “behind the flip-top coolers” on the cook line, and “on the floor in the clean plates and serving platters area of the ware-washing room.”
• “Floor area(s) covered with standing water” in prep kitchen and on cook line.
• “Accumulation of black/green mold-like substance in the interior of the ice machine/bin.”

Status: Reopened the same day after a follow-up inspection found no violations.

Conclusion

The Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation temporarily shut down one Broward County restaurant and five Palm Beach County restaurants due to high-priority violations. The violations included improper food temperatures, dead cockroaches, and rodent droppings. The restaurants were allowed to reopen after a follow-up inspection found no or fewer violations.

FAQs

Q: Why were the restaurants shut down?
A: The restaurants were shut down due to high-priority violations, including improper food temperatures, dead cockroaches, and rodent droppings.

Q: How many restaurants were shut down?
A: One Broward County restaurant and five Palm Beach County restaurants were shut down.

Q: How long did the restaurants remain closed?
A: The restaurants remained closed until a follow-up inspection found no or fewer violations, allowing them to reopen.