South Florida diners got an unwelcome reminder this week that what you do not see in a kitchen can definitely hurt your appetite. State inspectors ordered a string of eateries to shut down, citing rodent droppings, live roaches and other food safety hazards from Miami up through Aventura and Wilton Manors. One Miami supermarket landed on the list again as a repeat offender. Each business will have to clean up, correct violations and pass a follow-up inspection before reopening.
What Inspectors Found
State inspection logs read like a greatest-hits list of health code nightmares: rodent droppings on food-contact surfaces, live roaches in storage and prep areas, standing water pooled around sinks and damaged ceiling tiles that can give pests a cozy place to hide. Violations like these are considered high-priority and can trigger emergency closures, force operators to toss exposed food and bring in pest-control and remediation crews. The Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation posts the full inspection reports and closure orders on its public portal; for the detailed write-ups, see the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation.
Closures This Week
According to Local 10, Pack Supermarket in Miami was ordered shut on March 20 after inspectors logged 21 violations. When inspectors came back on March 21, they documented a dead rodent under an unused reach-in cooler.
Inspectors at Takato in Fort Lauderdale reported about 40 small flying insects landing on clean plates and sushi mats. The same report lists Georgie’s Alibi Monkey Bar in Wilton Manors, Azumare in Aventura, Kay’s Island Grill in Miami Gardens and a Burger King corporate cafeteria at Restaurant Brands International among the locations that were temporarily closed earlier in the week.
Follow-Ups And Reopenings…