Five Polk County restaurants fail to meet inspection standards. See why
Five Polk County food vendors fell short of standards during inspections between April 1 and 7, according to state reports.
It was an exceptionally light week of inspections: Only 29 were performed during the week. Of those, 24 met standards. Six had perfection initial inspections – meaning a regular inspection that wasn’t mandated by violations in a previous visit.
And there were no violations for rodents or insects.
All five of the facilities that fell short were permanent, brick-and-mortar restaurants; none were food trucks or caterers. And among the five, there were 25 total violations, six of which were clerical in nature, such as failing to provide proof of manager certification or employee training. (Seven if you count failing to put a “wash hands” sign at an employee handwashing sink).
View for yourself: See inspections for any restaurant in Polk County with The Ledger's searchable database
As a reminder, the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation warns people that an inspection report is not necessarily representative of normal conditions at the eatery. On any given day, a restaurant can have more or fewer violations than shown in the report.
Many of the violations found at the restaurants that failed to meet standards might not seem severe to the common diner. That’s why The Ledger details all the violations at such restaurants, so readers can decide for themselves. To view inspection reports for any restaurant in Polk County and beyond, go to our searchable database at https://data.theledger.com/restaurant-inspections/polk.
March 25-31: In slow week of inspections, 1 Polk County vendor falls short of standards. 16 are perfect
Restaurants that fell short, and why
Pizzanos Pizza And Grinderz, 126 California Blvd., Davenport: On April 1, the restaurant had a follow-up brought about from nine violations found in a January. Two violations remained: an intermediate violation for the food manager’s certification being expired, and a basic violation for duct tape being used to repair a broken element on a reach-in freezer. An administrative complaint was recommended, and another follow-up inspection ordered.
Banh Mi Factory & More, 3615 S. Florida Ave. #940, Lakeland: On April 2, the restaurant had a follow-up for a January inspection in which it had eight violations. During the callback, four violations remained, three of them intermediate. One was for a handwash sink with a container in it (indicating it was used for purposes other than hand washing). One was for failing to show proof of required food-safety training for employees. The other was for lacking proof that employees are informed of their responsibility to report information about their health and food-borne illnesses. An administrative complaint was recommended and a follow-up required. One basic violation was for employee personal items stored in or above a food prep area, food, clean equipment and utensils or single-service items – in this case a brown purse on the shelf with dry spices.
Grassland Golf Country Club, 1600 Grasslands Blvd., Lakeland: On April 2, the facility had six violations, including one high priority. That was for a toxic substance improperly stored (in this case, a bottle of glass cleaner on the rack with beverage syrup). Among its two intermediate violations, one was for no soap at the handwash sink in the upstairs bar; the other was for making renovations without a plan submitted for approval. Finally, there were three basic violations: an accumulation of a mold-like substance on a chute on an ice machine outside, carbon dioxide tanks improperly stored next to the beverage syrup rack, and a lack of a handwashing sign at the handwash sink in the upstairs bar.
Mosaics, 388 Village, Poinciana: On April 4, the restaurant had four violations. Two of them were intermediate: no temperature-measuring device on the dishwashing machine, and no proof of require training for employees. The other two were basic: carbon dioxide/helium tanks not properly secured in the prep area and utensils stored upright with the food-contact surface up.
Stonegate Golf Club, The Grill at Stonegate, 404 Village Drive, Poinciana: On April 4, the restaurant had nine violations, including one high priority. That was for the dishmachine not sanitizing properly. The restaurant was ordered to set up a manual dishwashing station until the dishmachine was fixed. There also were two intermediate violations: one for a soiled can opener blade, the other for lacking proof of required employee training. Finally, there were six basic violations: carbon dioxide/helium tanks not adequately secured; cutting boards on the cook line had cut marks that made them uncleanable; an accumulation of debris on the floor under the cook line equipment; bread boxes stored on the floor of the walk-in freezer; ice buildup along the door of the walk-in freezer; and grease and food debris between the fryers.
March 18-24: 10 Polk food vendors failed to meet standards and two had 13 violations each. See why
Perfection
Here’s a look at the six Polk County vendors that received perfect initial inspections. Of the six, four were food trucks.
El Frappetazo, mobile vendor, 44009 U.S. 27, Davenport
Carribean Island Cuisine LLC, 221 Martin Luther King Blvd. N.E., Winter Haven
NYC Street Grub, mobile vendor, 35647 U.S. 27 N., Haines City
Meka Tacos, mobile vendor, 1100 U.S. 17-92 N., Haines City
Awilda Food Stop, mobile vendor, 4412 Mahogany Run, Winter Haven
Y'All Come Back Saloon Bar and Restaurant, 3230 State Road 60 E., Lake Wales
March 11-17: 9 Polk County restaurants fail to meet standards. 21 were perfect
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: 5 Polk restaurants fail to meet inspection standards April 1-7
