Five Palm Beach County restaurants were temporarily shut last week by the state for violations such as flies landing on raw fish and clean dishes, and dozens of live and dead roaches. No Broward County restaurants received emergency closure orders during the same period.
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 dead 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.)
Palm Beach County
Little Moir’s Food Shack
103 S. U.S. Highway 1, Suite D3, Jupiter
Ordered shut: March 6
Why: Five violations (two high-priority), including:
• About 42 live flies “landing on sealed boxes of single-service bowls,” “shelves” and “on wall” at cook line, “on sealed bottle of dry seasoning” above prep table next to walk-in cooler door,” “on clean dishes at dish washing area,” “by back door on fold-up chairs and on wall,” “at front counter on wall by hand washing sink” and “on table with raw fish being prepared.”
• “Employee washed hands and after used paper towel to wipe mouth, and without rewashing hands, employee placed on gloves to begin rolling egg rolls.”
• Time/temperature issues involved diced tomatoes and cooked pasta.
Status: Reopened March 7 after a follow-up visit found no violations.
Wendy’s
6049 S. Military Trail, Lake Worth
Ordered shut: March 5
Why: Six violations (five high-priority), including:
• About eight live flies “flying above ice cream machine dispenser next to soda machine by drive-thru window,” “landing on shelf with chemicals by mop sink” and “on wall by dining room next to self-service soda machine.”
• About 12 live ants “crawling on the floor under racks with bread and on walls by the electric breaker’s panels.”
• About three live roaches “crawling on the floor by CO2 tank inside storage room behind office by back door.”
• “Employee was cleaning the floors then moved to handle container with food without washing hands first.”
• Time/temperature issue involved cheese sauce.
Status: Reopened March 6 after a next-day inspection found no violations.
Red Crab Juicy Seafood
1837 N. Military Trail, Unit B, West Palm Beach
Ordered shut: March 2
Why: 12 violations (eight high-priority), including:
• About 18 live roaches “by reach-in cooler below storage rack to hold cooked potatoes and corn,” “under low-boy cooler,” “in trash bucket,” “under wok station,” “under flip-top cooler,” “behind oven by wok station,” “under hand wash sink by prep table and reach-in freezer” and “in dining area in front of bathroom hallway.”
• About 62 dead roaches “under low-boy cooler,” “in trash bucket,” “under stove used to boil water,” “under wok station,” “under reach-in cooler,” “inside reach-in cooler,” “in between oven and small stove,” “under three-compartment sink,” “under dishwasher machine,” “under two-compartment sink,” “by front counter in front of hand wash station,” “on server station counter,” “under server station table” and “by single-door reach-in cooler at server station.”
• One live fly “landing on clean bowl.”
• “Employees came from outside then put gloves on to begin work at cook line” without washing hands.
• “Employee handled raw clams then grabbed a clean container” without washing hands.
• “Raw chicken stored over mozzarella sticks and cooked sausage.”
• Stop sale ordered for cheesecake “due to temperature abuse.”
• Stop sale ordered for “one dented can of marinara sauce.”
• “Clam/mussel/oyster tags not marked with last date served.”
Status: Reopened March 3 after a reinspection found one intermediate violation. Ordered shut again March 5 after a third visit found seven violations (three high-priority, two intermediate and two basic). Remained closed March 6 after a fourth inspection yielded two violations (one high-priority and one basic) and reopened later that same day after a fifth visit found no violations.
Wendy’s
865 N. Federal Highway, Boca Raton
Ordered shut: March 2
Why: Four violations (one high-priority), including:
• About 15 live roaches in the kitchen “on back right wheel to burger flat top on cook line,” “on ground under cook line” and “going inside of cove molding behind cook line.”
• About 25 dead roaches “on ground under cook line equipment in kitchen,” “in gasket to front counter reach-in cooler door,” “on ground under front counter one-door stainless reach-in cooler,” “in circuit breaker box on cook line,” “inside of hot-holding drawer at front counter,” “on soap dispenser at ware washing area hand wash sink,” “in control device located under three-compartment sink in ware washing area” and “on ground under three-compartment sink in warewashing area.”
• Floor soiled/has accumulation of debris “under dining room soda machine and cook line equipment.”
Status: Remained closed later that same day after a follow-up inspection found two violations (one high-priority and one basic). Reopened March 3 after a third visit found no violations.
Blue Anchor Pub
804 E. Atlantic Ave., Delray Beach
Ordered shut: March 2
Why: Four violations (two high-priority), including:
• 19 rodent droppings “underneath boxes above slicer,” “underneath slicer,” “underneath mixer,” “on floor in walk-in cooler,” “in beef base pan in walk-in cooler,” “in box of burger meat in walk-in cooler” and “on floor.”
• “Accumulation of soil residues” in “all reach-in coolers.”
Status: Reopened later that same day after a reinspection found two violations (one high-priority and one basic).