18 Polk restaurants failed to meet standards. But 16 were perfect and 24 almost perfect

Andy Kuppers, Lakeland Ledger
·9 min read

Once again, no Polk County restaurants were closed down by state inspectors, and only one received a violation related to pests from Dec. 4 to 17.

Eighteen restaurants failed to meet inspection standards for a wide variety of violations. But in 147 reports filed by state inspectors during the two-week period, only one mentioned insects, and that was for two dead roaches found at a Haines City restaurant that ultimately met standards.

That violation – dead roaches – is typically deemed “basic” in inspection reports. The restaurant, Le Garden Ye, received 11 total violations, the vast majority basic. The only high-priority violation in the report was for a vacuum breaker that was missing at a hose bibb at the mop sink.

The Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation says that an inspection report is “a snapshot of conditions present at the time of the inspection,” and notes that it’s not necessarily an indication of long-term conditions.

>> INTERACTIVE: Explore all restaurant inspections in Polk County.

The most violations

The restaurant with the most violations during the period was Manny’s Chop House at 210 State Road 60 in Lake Wales. On Dec. 4, the restaurant received 17 violations, the vast majority basic – things like ceiling or floor tiles missing, a cutting board that was deemed no longer cleanable, a light that wasn’t functioning. Also among those basic violations were a pan of chicken on the floor of a walk-in cooler, and another pan thawing in the dishroom.

The only high-priority violation was for a dishmachine that wasn’t using chlorine sanitizer at the proper strength. The inspector ordered the restaurant to set up manual sanitization until the dishmachine was repaired. A follow-up inspection was required.

On Dec. 11, the restaurant passed with only two basic violations related to a damaged floor tile and damage to a wall.

Nov. 20 to Dec. 3: No Polk restaurants gigged for rodents or insects. 16 scored perfect. See who they were

Almost perfect

It’s tough to get a perfect score on an inspection. So many little things can go wrong. That’s why we like to highlight the food vendors that were almost perfect – to show what one little violation stood in the way of perfection. During the latest two-week period, there were 24 such food vendors, a mix of brick-and-mortar stores and mobile vendors such as food trucks.

We’ll start with what might be the biggest heart-breaker: On Dec. 8, Mr. & Mrs. Crab at 3770 Lakeside Village Court, Lakeland would’ve been perfect if not for a broken lid on an outdoor garbage can. The facility passed inspection.

Here’s a look at the others:

  • Domino's #4916, 5315 U.S. 98 N., Lakeland: On Dec. 14, the restaurant received a single violation when an inspector noticed unspecified “grease, food debris, dirt, or dust” on top of a pizza oven. The restaurant passed inspection.

  • Cinemark Lakeland Square Mall, 3800 U.S. 98 N., Suite 910, Lakeland: On Dec. 14, the movie theater’s only violation was for food debris on a green pizza cart. It passed inspection.

  • Yogurt Mountain inside Books-A-Million, 1520 Town Center Drive, Lakeland: On Dec. 13, an inspector noted a case of 16-ounce cups stored on the floor in the storage/dishwasher area. The vendor passed inspection.

  • Subway #64029, 214 E. Canal St., Mulberry: On Dec. 13, the restaurant’s only violation was debris under an hand sink cabinet. The restaurant met standards.

  • Taco Bell, 2400 Deer Creek Commerce Lane, Davenport: On Dec. 12, its only violation was for a vacuum breaker missing at hose bibb by the mop sink. The restaurant met standards.

  • Chipotle Mexican Grill Of Colorado LLC, 1091 Posner Blvd., Davenport: On Dec. 11, an inspector noted that containers of food that had been removed from their original container were not identified by a common name. In this case, it was bulk containers of rice in the prep area. The restaurant passed inspection.

  • Renteria Erendira, a mobile food vendor at 105 Dundee Road, Dundee: On Dec. 11, the handwash sink was out of paper towels at the time of inspection. The operator replaced the paper towels, but it wasn’t enough for perfection. The vendor passed inspection.

  • Subway At Plantation Square, 5395 N. Socrum Loop Road, Lakeland: On Dec. 11, an inspector noted a cutting board had enough cut marks that it was no longer cleanable. The restaurant met standards.

  • Donde Wilking Latin Food, mobile food vendor, 915 Dundee Road, Dundee: On Dec. 8, an inspector noted ready-to-eat, time/temperature-controlled food was not properly dated in the reach-in cooler. The vendor met standards.

  • Taqueria El Campesino, mobile food vendor, 302 E. Main St., Dundee: On Dec. 8, the restaurant received a single violation, for soild hood vents. It passed inspection.

  • K&B Top China, 28075 U.S. 27 S., Dundee: On Dec. 7, the restaurant’s only violation was for soiled ceiling tiles above a walk-in cooler. The facility met standards.

  • Sandwich Factory, 5024 Lunn Road, Lakeland: On Dec. 7, the restaurant’s only violation was for debris on the kitchen floor. The operator cleaned it quickly, but barely missed perfection. The restaurant met standards.

  • Wendy’s, 1520 Broadway Ave. N., Bartow: On Dec. 6, an inspector noted a soiled surface inside the reach-in cabinet under the sandwich making station. The restaurant passed inspection.

  • Papa Johns Pizza #2420, 6747 U.S. 98 N., Lakeland: On Dec. 6, something was amiss about the utensil in the cut onions on the pizza assembly line. It was “not stored with handle above top of food within a closed container,” according to the report. The offense was corrected, but the violation remained. The restaurant passed inspection.

  • Camp Mack River Resort, 14900 Camp Mack Road, Lake Wales: On Dec. 6, the restaurant received a single violation for an accumulation of an unspecified “black substance/grease/food debris” inside the oven. The restaurant passed inspection.

  • Marco's Pizza, 3005 Duff Road, Lakeland: On Dec. 6, received a single violation for “Handwash sink used for purposes other than handwashing” when an inspector noted an unspecified container in the sink. It was removed. The restaurant passed inspection.

  • Chuck E Cheese vending machine at 3558 U.S. 98 N., Lakeland: A vending machine at the restaurant did not display its hotel and restaurant license on Dec. 5. It passed inspection.

  • Riko Hotdogs – Nost, 815 Eagle Ridge Drive, Unit 602, Lake Wales: On Dec. 5, an inspector noted an in-use utensil wasn’t stored in standing water of at least 135 degrees. The violation was corrected on site. The restaurant passed inspection.

  • Al’s Place, 1530 N. Scenic Highway, Lake Wales: On Dec. 5, the restaurant’s only violation was that its required employee training was expired. A follow-up inspection was required. As of Friday, none was listed in state reports.

  • Hardee's Restaurant, 300 E. Van Fleet, Bartow: On Dec. 5, the restaurant’s food-manager certification was expired. It met standards.

  • Taco Bell #16927, 1060 E. Van Fleet Drive, Bartow: On Dec. 5, an inspector noted pans above the three-compartment sink were not properly air-dried. The restaurant met standards.

  • Phase III, 118 E. Crystal Ave., Lake Wales: On Dec. 5, an inspector noted an unspecified debris on the inside of a mini oven. The operator cleaned the oven, and the restaurant passed inspection.

  • El Huarache, mobile food vendor, 2009 George Jenkins Blvd., Lakeland: On Dec. 4, the vendor’s only violation was food debris on a can opener. It passed inspection.

Nov. 6-19: 1 Polk restaurant closed for rodent droppings and another is warned for ... a bullfrog?

Perfection

Now that we see just how tough it is to achieve perfection in a inspection, here are 16 Polk County food vendors that did just that between Dec. 4 and 17. This list does not include restaurants that had zero violations in a call back – or a follow-up inspection required because of previous violations.

  • Café, 100 Orlando Breeze Circle, Davenport

  • Baymont Inn, 4375 Lakeland Park Drive, Lakeland

  • JQ Vending, vending machine, I-4 Eastbound Mile Marker 0246, Auburndale

  • Buddy's Snack Bar, 42749 U.S. 27, Davenport

  • Mama Thai Food, mobile food vendor, 1800 State Road 559, Polk City

  • Tsaocaa Tea & Michi Ramen, 4238 U.S. 98 N., Lakeland

  • Low And Slow Smokehouse, 1853 E. Memorial Blvd., Suite 105, Lakeland

  • Rodeway Inn Davenport, 2425 Frontage Road, Davenport

  • Gspot and Holshotz LLC, 3825 N. Scenic Highway, Lake Wales

  • 5 Hermanos Baked Potatoes, mobile food vendor, 620 Dundee Road, Dundee

  • Subway #3750, 850 N. Broadway Ave., Bartow

  • Checkers Drive In Restaurant, 719 Magnolia Ave., Auburndale

  • Chain Of Lakes Guest House, 1350 Mirror Terrace N.W., Winter Haven

  • Shawnalee's Caribbean Cuisine Kitchen, 1831 1st St. N., Winter Haven

  • City Of Winter Haven (Diamondplex), 900 Polk State College Access Road, Winter Haven

  • Streamsong Resort- Roof Top Bar, 1000 Streamsong Drive, Streamsong

Oct. 2 to Nov. 5: 5 Polk restaurants warned for signs of rodents or insects. 36 log perfect inspections

Keep in mind as you read

Remember that in some cases, violations 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: No Polk County restaurants closed by inspectors. 16 were perfect