One Polk County restaurant fell short of inspection standards and 18 vendors passed initial inspections with zero violations from May 20 to June 2, according to state reports.
In a very light two-week period for inspections, there were no violations for rodents or insects at any restaurant across the county. And the one restaurant that failed to meet standards had no high-priority violations.
The Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation says an inspection report is a “snapshot” at the time of the inspection and isn’t necessarily indicative of normal conditions.
To view inspections for an restaurant in Polk County, see The Ledger’s online searchable database at https://data.theledger.com/restaurant-inspections/polk.
May 13-192 more Polk County food vendors fall short of standards. Four are perfect. See the reports
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The restaurant that fell short, and why
Sonic Drive-In 6669, 5030 Dave Robbins Way, Lakeland: On May 29, the restaurant had five violations, including one intermediate and four basic. The intermediate violation was for the person in charge lacking proof of certification. Among the four basic violations, the inspector noted an employee with a bushy ponytail wearing an ineffective hair restraint while preparing food, standing water on the floor near the ice machine, food stored on the floor (in this case a bag of onions near a prep table and a case of fries in the walk-in freezer), and a gasket on a reach-in cooler door soiled with debris. A follow-up inspection was required, but none appeared in state reports by June 4.
May 6-12:2 Polk County restaurants fall short of standards in recent reports. See why
Perfection
Eighteen Polk County food vendors passed their initial inspections with zero violations. The list does not include restaurants that were perfect on a scheduled follow-up inspection mandated by previous violations.
- Chico's Food Truck, mobile vendor, 3802 Rifle Range Road, Winter Haven
- Lochapopka, 657 Wood Ave., Frostproof
- BD Food N Grill, mobile vendor, 5775 E. Johnson Ave., Haines City
- My Catering Connection Inc, 11 S. Seminole Ave., Fort Meade
- Domino's Pizza, 69 U.S. 17-92 N., Haines City
- Reina Arepa LLC, mobile vendor, 2255 U.S. 17 92 N., Haines City
- The Sweet Spot, mobile vendor, 2297 Garden Chase Drive, Lakeland
- RG Winter Haven LLC, 5535 Cypress Gardens Blvd., Suite 100, Winter Haven
- Costilla Grill and Mariscos, mobile vendor, 223 N. Wabash Ave., Lakeland
- Silou Restaurant, 409 Martin Luther King Blvd. N.E., Winter Haven
- Mixons Beef Jerky, 1745 E. Memorial Blvd., Lakeland
- Valerie Vergallito, mobile vendor, 3564 U.S. 27, Haines City
- Food For The Soul, mobile vendor, 240 Bay Breeze Loop, Davenport
- Tea-Tastic & Lemonlicious, mobile vendor, 326 State Road 60, Lake Wales
- R&R Cuisine, mobile vendor, 2101 2nd St. N.E., Winter Haven
- Graze Craze Lakeland, 4525 S. Florida Ave., Suite 30, Lakeland
- Adventhouse, vending machine, 210 Cypress Gardens Blvd., Winter Haven
- Publix Super Markets Downtown Office, 321 S. Kentucky Ave., Lakeland
April 22 to May 55 Polk County restaurants fall short of inspection standards. See why
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.
April 8-21:Two Polk restaurants closed by inspectors: 1 for roaches, another for construction issues
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.
