PANAMA CITY — Five Bay County restaurants were briefly shut down this year since March after health inspectors found signs of roach and rodent activity near food storage areas and, in some cases, in the stored food, according to state reports.
In total, nine restaurants have been issued emergency closure orders by the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR) this year in Bay County — more than double the number of restaurants closed in all of 2013.
Each of the restaurants corrected health concerns before subsequent inspections and were allowed to reopen, state inspectors reported.
One business was closed twice within three months for similar rodent activity, DBPR reported. Old, dry rodent droppings were present May 6 under the kitchen prep table, dishwasher and within an electrical panel of the Sandbar Seafood House & Deli at 275 S. State 79. Inspectors found about seven fresh, soft rodent droppings in a box of noodles and about 20 dried droppings on and around the deli meat slicing table, inspectors reported. (MAY SANDBAR REPORT)
About 100 dried droppings also were found under the dry storage shelves and live flies were in the kitchen, and the business was ordered to not sell the noodles. Inspectors allowed the Sandbar to reopen the following morning after complying with the inspection.
The restaurant was closed again July 9 after inspectors found similar rodent activity. The Sandbar also was ordered to throw out potentially hazardous food being stored at unfit temperatures. Inspectors found 1 pound of shucked oyster at 70 degrees and 3 ounces of crab claws at 51 degrees in a reach-in cooler, according to reports. (JULY SANDBAR REPORT)
One of the Sandbar’s owners, David Humphreys, attributed the breach to construction.
“I guess we were left vulnerable by some construction and an air conditioner we were getting replaced,” he said. “But we replaced the air conditioner and those issues have been addressed.”
The Sandbar was allowed to reopen the morning of July 10 after correcting the issues.
A separate seafood restaurant was closed May 27 for roach activity. Inspectors closed J’s Seafood Restaurant, 1507 Tennessee Ave., after finding seven live roaches in the storage area next to the kitchen, one on the lobby wall and 15 behind the kitchen reach-in cooler. They also found five dead roaches behind the fryer, 10 in a side storage area and about 25 under the beer cooler and wait station. (J'S REPORT)
Attempts to contact representatives from J’s were unsuccessful. The restaurant was allowed to reopen the next morning.
Outlaws Bar-B-Q, 2875 W. 23rd St., was closed June 4 for similar roach activity. Inspectors found10 live roaches on a shelf by the cook line, one live roach on serving baskets and to-go boxes and one on the prep table, DBPR reported. (OUTLAWS REPORT)
Owner Tom Newberry said the call stemmed from a disgruntled employee and caught the restaurant directly after a delivery of dry goods.
Roaches “hide in cardboard boxes, and if (DBPR) find any, they won’t let you open,” Newberry said. “Unfortunately, that’s what they have to do, but if it was so bad, we wouldn’t have been able to reopen.”
Outlaws reopened the next morning.
Po’ Folks, 989 W. 15th St., also was closed for roach activity, inspectors found. One live roach was seen on the sandwich cooler, one on the wall behind the cooler, one under the grill table, one on the breading shelf, three in the hallway by the office and 10 inside the office, situated behind the cook line, DBPR reported. (PO' FOLKS REPORT)
Inspectors also reported the restaurant was storing potentially hazardous food at unfit temperatures. Green tomatoes and cole slaw were both stored in an “ice bath” but were warmer than the inspection requirement of 41-degrees. Raw meat was stored over “ready-to-eat” food, inspectors reported.
Po’ Folks’ management did not return a request for comment.
The most recent closure was of Thai Basil Restaurant, 1001 Beck Ave., on Sept. 29. The restaurant was ordered to throw out chicken, beef, cream cheese and eggs stored in a cooler at more than 41 degrees. Inspectors also found raw meat stored over “ready-to-eat” food and found the dish machine didn’t work and less-than-properly concentrated dish sanitizer. (THAI BASIL REPORT)
Inspectors also found about 15 to 20 fresh rodent droppings under the dish machine, 15 fresh droppings behind the cook line and three more on the bottom of the soup and rice prep table, DBPR reported.
Manager Sylvia Chan said the old age and location of the building presented an issue, but the owners have since taken measures to correct it.
“We don’t have that problem anymore,” Chan said. “That’s been cleaned and everything has been taken care of.”
The business also was allowed to reopen the next morning.
Four other Bay County restaurants were closed between the start of the year through March 28. Each of those also corrected concerns and were allowed to reopen.
--- MAY SANDBAR REPORT --- --- JULY SANDBAR REPORT ---
--- J'S REPORT --- --- OUTLAWS REPORT --- --- PO' FOLKS REPORT --- --- THAI BASIL REPORT ---