See why these 17 Polk County food vendors fell short of inspection standards

Seventeen Polk County restaurants or vendors fell short of inspection standards during the four-week period from Dec. 16 to Jan. 12, according to state inspection reports.

One restaurant had 22 violations. Nineteen vendors were perfect.

The Ledger’s restaurant inspection roundup returns this week after a brief hiatus. In the report, we detail the violations for all restaurants that fell short of standards – receiving a warning or an administrative complaint with a follow-up inspection required.

Falling into that category doesn’t necessarily mean the restaurant had unsanitary conditions. Many of the violations are not the type that would concern the common diner. For instance, one restaurant in this week’s list had only one violation – the food manager’s certification was expired.

For that reason, we list the violations in full, so readers can decide the severity.

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And of course, it’s common for many restaurants to meet inspection standards with violations that would give the common diner pause. Readers can view inspection reports for any food vendor in the county at The Ledger’s searchable database: https://data.theledger.com/restaurant-inspections/polk.

Dec. 2-15:13 Polk County restaurants fail to meet standards, including one with an old problem: rodents

Restaurants with double-digit violations

• Taco De California, 854 6th St. N.W., Winter Haven: On Dec. 16, the restaurant was issued a warning after receiving 22 violations, including seven high priority violations.

Among those: Cooked pork wasn’t cooled from 135 degrees to 70 within two hours (and a stop-sale was issued); non-food-grade bags in contact with food; raw animal food stored over ready-to-eat food (raw shell eggs over cheese, and raw fish over cut vegetables); raw food not properly separated from each other (raw chicken over raw pork); temperature-controlled food hot held at less than 135 degrees (yellow rice at 92); and a toxic substance improperly stored (Windex next to single-serve cups).

There were five intermediate violations: the interior of an ice machine and a cutting board were soild with debris; no chemical test kit for using sanitizer; no proof of required employee food-safety training; probe thermometer not used when cooling items; and cut tomatoes, lettuce, cooked pork and various other foods were held 24 hours without proper date marks;

And the 10 basic violations were: a container with no handle was used to dispense food; current Hotel and Restaurant license not displayed; a broken handle and gasket on a reach-in cooler; hood filters and gaskets soiled with debris; the dumpster lid was open; a sanitizer bucket was stored next to a clean blender and whole potatoes; standing water in the bottom of a reach-in-cooler; a wall was soiled with accumulated debris; the wet mop wasn’t stored in a manner that allowed it to dry; and a wiping cloth sanitizing solution wasn’t at the proper minimum strength.

A follow-up was required, but as of Feb. 21, a callback wasn’t recorded in state reports.

Among those, two were related to cooked chicken that wasn’t stored at or below 41 degrees (a stop-sale was ordered); one was for other items, including pastrami, turkey and brisket that were not held at or below 41 degrees; and the last was for the dishmachine failing to mix sanitizer.

Six violations were basic: the women’s bathroom did not have a covered waste bin; utensils were wet-nesting, with being properly air dried; a broken container holding pumpkin puree and rusted racks in an upright cooler; soiled gaskets on a reach-in cooler; an open dumpster lid and water leaking from a handwash sink faucet.

In a callback on Dec. 27, the restaurant met standards with only two basic violations remaining.

Nov. 18 to Dec. 1:These two Polk County restaurants had double-digit violations. See what inspectors found

Other restaurants that fell short of standards, and why

• China Wok, 617 U.S. 17 92 W., Suite 523, Haines City: On Dec. 16, the restaurant had seven violations, including one high-priority violation for raw chicken stored over soy sauce in a walk-in cooler.

Two violations were intermediate: trash bags were sitting in a handwash sink (indicating it was used for something other than handwashing); and water of at least 85 degrees wasn’t provided at the handwash sink.

And there were four basic violations: a bowl with no handle was used to dispense flour; an employee was cooking without a hair restraint; a bucket of onions was stored on the floor in the walk-in cooler; and a light in the dining area wasn’t functioning.

In a callback on Dec. 18, two violations remained: the malfunctioning light and the lack of hot water at the handwash sink. Another follow-up was required. On Dec. 27, the restaurant met standards with zero violations.

• Wendy’s 7918, 2002 State Road 60 E., Lake Wales: On Dec. 26, the restaurant had six violations, including one high priority violation. That was for a live roach found in an electrical box on the market table.

The other five violations were basic: an unclean stall in the men’s restroom; floor areas covered with standing water; a box of chicken stored on the floor in the walk-in freezer; garbage on the ground near the dumpster outside; and a box of single-serve straws on the floor in dry storage.

In a follow-up inspection the next day, the restaurant met standards with zero violations.

• Red Lobster #6207, 230 Cypress Gardens Blvd., Winter Haven: On Dec. 18, the restaurant had five violations. Three were intermediate, all related to a lack of hot water at the three-compartment sink and handwash sink, likely when the dishmachine was running. The two basic violations were: lights missing proper covers and a lack of hot water at the mop sink. In a callback on Dec. 20, only one violation remained – the missing light covers.

There two intermediate violations: the food manager’s certification was expired, and a Slushy machine nozzle was soiled. And two basic violations: carbon dioxide or helium tanks weren’t secured properly, and an employee’s jacket was stored on top of the plate area storage.

• Dairy Queen of Lake Wales, 24171 U.S. 27, Lake Wales: On Jan. 2, the restaurant had four violations, including a high-priority violation for operating with an expired license and an intermediate violation for failing to provide proof of required employee training. There were also two basic violations: an accumulation of a mold-like substance in the ice machine, and an employee without a hair restraint prepping food. An administrative complaint was recommended.

• Jade Garden, 1140 Champions Drive, Davenport: On Dec. 17, the restaurant had four violations, including one high-priority for operating with an expired license. The other three were basic: a pot with no handle was used to dispense rice; boxes of oil were stored on the floor under equipment on the cook line; and shelves in a walk-in cooler were rusted. An administrative complain was recommended and a follow-up required. As of Feb. 21, the follow-up did not appear in reports.

Nov. 4-17:21 Polk County food vendors fell short of standards. Three had double-digit violations

• Hardee’s Restaurant, 39837 U.S. 27, Davenport: On Jan. 10, the restaurant had three violations. The most serious, according to inspection reports, was that required food-safety training was expired for all employees (intermediate). There were also two basic violations: a black mold-like substance on an oil container in dry storage, and old labels stuck to containers after washing.

• Fiesta Tropical Market, 547 E. Bridgers Ave., Auburndale: On Dec. 30, the vendor had a callback inspection from an October inspection in which five violations were found. In the callback, three violations remained. One was an intermediate violation for failing to provide proof of required employee training. The others were basic: containers of frying oil stored on the floor and food debris on spice shelves. An administrative complaint was recommended and a follow-up required.

• Sabrosura 718 Inc., 2300 Deer Creek Commerce Lane, Suite 300: On Dec. 17, the restaurant had three violations. Two were intermediate: Its required employee training was expired for all employees, and a spray bottle with a toxic substance (degreaser) wasn’t labeled. One basic violation was for unlabeled bulk containers of rice, beans and flour.

• Philly Cheese Steak & Wing, 4963 U.S. 98 N., Lakeland: On Dec. 16, the restaurant had three violations. Two were high-priority violations, related to the same issue: operating with an expired Division of Hotels and Restaurants license. The other violation was basic: an exterior door had a gap at the threshold that opens to the outside. A follow-up was required but no follow-up appeared in state reports as of Feb. 21.

• Locorrito, 218 State Road 60, Lake Wales: On Jan. 2, the restaurant had just two violations. One was for making renovations without submitting a plan for approval, an intermediate-level violation that commonly prevents a restaurant from meeting standards. The other was a basic violation for a dirty panel behind an ice machine.

• Donde Wilking Latin Food, 915 Dundee Road, Dundee: On Dec. 18, the restaurant received a warning with only two violations – one high priority, one intermediate. The high-priority violation was for a non-food-grade container used for storing plantains. The intermediate was for failing to provide proof of state-approved training for an employee.

• Culver’s Of Haines City, 37061 U.S. 27, Haines City: On Dec. 16, the restaurant had two violations. One was considered high priority: the dishmachine wasn’t mixing sanitizer. The other was basic: old labels stuck to food containers after cleaning. In a callback on Dec. 19, the restaurant met standards with zero violations.

• Swamp Wagon, 7737 Camp Mack Road, Lake Wales: On Dec. 16, the food truck had a single violation: the food manager’s certification was expired (intermediate). A follow-up was required but none appeared in state reports as of Feb. 21.

Oct. 21 to Nov. 3:13 Polk County food vendors failed to meet standards Oct. 21 to Nov. 3. See why

Perfection

It’s tough to get a perfection initial inspection, with so many little things that can go wrong. But these 19 Polk County vendors – a mix of permanent seating establishments, food trucks and caterer’s – did just that from Dec. 16 to Jan. 12. Not included in this list are vendors that had perfect callback inspections – those that are mandated by previous violations.

• Whatcha Got Cookin, mobile vendor, 118 E. Wall St., Frostproof
• The Chicks’ Coop, mobile vendor, 2908 S. Florida Ave., Lakeland
• Chappy’s Dog House, mobile vendor, 6645 S. Florida Ave., Suite # 14, Lakeland
• Domino’s 3132, 40230 U.S. 27 Suite 180, Davenport
• Adler’s, 113 Ambersweet Way, Davenport
• The Spot Jamaican Restaurant Lounge & Liquor Store, 16905 U.S. 27, Lake Wales
• El Valenciano Restaurant, 208 E. Main St., Dundee
• Asian Bowl-Ba Café, 345 Cypress Gardens Blvd., Winter Haven
• The Red Top Pit Stop, 12160 U.S. 98 N., Lakeland
• Beyond All Smoke Ribs LLC, 3 N. Scenic Highway, Frostproof
• Phase III, 118 E. Crystal Ave., Lake Wales
• Borilokz LLC, mobile vendor, 16950 Route 630, Lake Wales
• Andrea’s Restaurant, 1088 Havendale Blvd. N.W., Winter Haven
• Papa John’s Pizza #5159, 1150 Champions Crossing Drive, Davenport
• By The Chef Pizza, 1212 S. Florida Ave., Lakeland
• Island Frydays, mobile vendor, 1937 E. Memorial Blvd., Lakeland
• Castro’s Café, 205 Broadway Blvd. S.E., Polk City
• Dominick’s, caterer, 502 E. Main St., Lakeland (Catapult)
• NYC Halal Cart, mobile vendor, 100 E. Memorial Blvd., Lakeland

Do your own research:Search inspection reports for any restaurant in Polk County

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 1-850-487-1395.

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.