Over 150 dead roaches discovered in almost every part of the restaurant and 30 rodent droppings shut down a restaurant in Sunrise last week, one of four that inspectors were forced to close due to numerous violations.
A Denny’s in Tamarac, Rob’s Bageland in Tamarac, Chela’s Mexican Food & Bar in Royal Palm Beach and Bahamian Reef Seafood Restaurant in Sunrise were shut down.
The South Florida Sun Sentinel typically highlights restaurant inspections in Broward and Palm Beach counties from the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation. We cull through hundreds of restaurant and bar inspections that happen weekly and spotlight places ordered shut for “high-priority violations,” such as improper food temperatures or dead cockroaches.
Sun Sentinel readers can browse full Palm Beach, Broward and Miami-Dade county reports through our state inspection map, updated weekly (usually Mondays) with fresh data pulled from the Florida DBPR website.
Any restaurant that fails a state inspection must stay closed until it passes a follow-up. If you spotted a possible violation and wish to file a complaint, contact Florida DBPR here. (But please don’t contact us: The Sun Sentinel doesn’t inspect restaurants.)
Denny’s, Tamarac
5710 N University Drive
Ordered shut: July 11, reopened July 12
Why: Denny’s had 16 violations (five high-priority), prompting inspectors to shut down the restaurant. They found at least 12 dead roaches throughout the restaurant, including in the dining room, in the hallway, on a bread shelf next to loaves of bread and on the floor next to the ice machine.
Roach excrement was found on the floor in the back of the dining room area and near the cook line and close to the handwashing sink.
Two dead flies were also discovered on the floor of the the walk-in cooler and two live flies were buzzing next to the ice bin.
Other violations include objectionable odors, sewage waste water backing up near the cook line and mold build-up in the sink at the cook line.
The restaurant was allowed to re-open the next day when they met inspection standards.
Rob’s Bageland, Tamarac
8217 N Pine Island Road
Ordered shut: July 11, reopened July 12
Why: 28 violations (seven high-priority) shut down this restaurant for a day. Over 160 live flies were flying around the restaurant: some landed on clean cups and straws used to serve guests, while others flew near the food prep area and through the deli area.
Inspectors also observed that walls throughout the restaurant were dirty, a can opener blade had mold on it and there was water draining on the floor.
The restaurant was allowed to re-open the next day.
Chela’s Mexican Food & Bar, Royal Palm Beach
11150 Okeechobee Blvd, Suite H
Ordered shut: July 13; reopened July 15
Why: The state uncovered six violations (two high-priority), led by improper food storage, with the restaurant storing cut peppers in a sanitizer bucket.
Inspectors also found a dead roach under a cooler in the cook line and spotted more than 15 live roaches in the restaurant.
The restaurant re-opened two days later.
Bahamian Reef Seafood Restaurant, Sunrise
7836 NW 44 ST
Ordered shut: July 13
Why: 14 violations (three high- priority) shut down this restaurant.
Inspectors found more than 150 dead roaches throughout the establishment. They also found more than 50 live roaches in the kitchen area, some crawling on the prep table, some across plates and other equipment. Inspectors found more live roaches crawling on the cutting board and near the handwashing sink.
They also found 30 rodent droppings in the restaurant.
