See why these 12 Polk County food vendors failed to meet standards July 22-28

Twelve Polk County restaurants and food trucks failed to meet inspection standards from July 22 to 28, and one had 11 total violations, according to recent state reports.

Of 78 total inspections logged for the week, 66 met standards and 12 were perfect on their initial inspection – or an inspection that isn’t a follow-up, or callback, mandated by previous violations.

Among the 12 that fell short, there were 50 total violations, including 13 that were clerical in nature – things like expired licenses, managers lacking certification or failure to provide required food-safety training for employees. Three vendors on the list received only these types of violations.

No food vendors had violations related to rodents or insects during the week.

July 15-21:Nine Polk food vendors fail to meet standards, including 2 with 13 violations each. See why

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The Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation says that these reports are just a “snapshot” of conditions at the time of the inspection. Restaurants and food trucks can be cited for a wide variety of issues, many of which wouldn’t be considered alarming to the common diner. Often, violations are fixed with the inspector on site, but they still show up in the report.

The Ledger details the violations suffered by the restaurants that failed to meet standards so readers can decide for themselves.

It’s also fairly common for restaurants to meet standards with violations that might be alarming to some. To see restaurant inspections for any restaurant in Polk County, take a look at our searchable database at https://data.theledger.com/restaurant-inspections/polk.

July 8-14:5 Polk restaurants fall short of standards. But 2 had more violations and passed. See why

Restaurants that fell short – and why

• Lins Asian Bistro, 6107 U.S. 17-92 N., Loughman, inspected on July 25, had the most violations during the period – 11, including one high priority, two intermediate and eight basic. The high-priority violation was for a malfunctioning dish machine that wasn’t mixing chlorine sanitizer. A manual dish washing station was set up until the dish machine was fixed.

For the intermediate violations, the inspector noted a bucket of utensils in the handwash sink (indicating the sink was being used for things other than handwashing), and there was no mechanical drying device or hand towels at the handwash sink.

And the basic violations were: A cup with no handle was used to dispense rice; carbon dioxide or helium tanks weren’t properly secured; cardboard was used to line shelves in dry storage; an employee’s open beverage container was in the reach-in cooler near other food or utensils; tubs of beef and chicken were stored on the floor of the walk-in cooler; in-use knives were stored in cracks between reach-in coolers on the cook line; in-use utensils were stored in a bucket of standing water at less than 135 degrees; and walk-in cooler shelves were pitted with rust.

A warning was issued and a follow-up inspection required.

• South Florida Dairy Queen, 4114 S. Florida Ave., Lakeland: On July 23, the restaurant had seven violations, including six basic and one intermediate. The intermediate violation was for the food manager’s certification being expired.

Among the basic violations, the inspector noted: a ceiling wasn’t “smooth, nonabsorbent and easily cleanable”; the current license wasn’t displayed; a gasket on a flip-top reach-in cooler was torn; the interior of the microwave oven had an accumulation of grease or food debris; a gasket on a soft-serve machine was soiled with debris; and two vent covers were missing.

A warning was issued and a follow-up required.

• Duke's Brewhouse, 4960 S. Florida Ave., Lakeland: On July 24, the restaurant had six violations. Two were high priority. One was for food “cold held” at greater than 41 degrees -- bleu cheese crumbles at 46 degrees, diced tomatoes 45 degrees and pasta 45 degrees. The other was for a toxic chemical stored near food – in this case a spray bottle with bleach stored on a shelf with yellow rice and distilled vinegar.

One intermediate violation was for not having a certified food manager on duty with four or more people prepping food.

Finally, there were three basic violations: a mold-like substance inside the ice machine; a current license wasn’t displayed; and a light on the hood system wasn’t functioning.

A warning was issued and a follow-up required. On July 26, the restaurant cleared a callback inspection with only one violation remaining – the malfunctioning light.

July 1-7:6 Polk County food vendors fall short of standards July 1-7. See who, and why

• Jersey Mike's Subs- Hutton Retail Shops, 3550 Harden Blvd. Suite 103, Lakeland: On July 25, the restaurant had five violations. There was one intermediate violation for failing to provide a chemical test kit for sanitizer. And there were four basic violations: carbon dioxide tanks next to the beverage station by the back door were not properly secured; its current license was not displayed; a case of lettuce was stored on the floor in the walk-in cooler; and no copy of its most recent inspection report was available. An administrative complaint was recommended and a follow-up required.

• China Garden, 1527 Bartow Road, Lakeland: On July 23, the restaurant had four violations. The high-priority violation was for operating with an expired license. An intermediate violation was for storage lids in a handwash sink, making it inaccessible to employees. And there were two basics: bowls or other containers without handles being used to dispense food (a can used as a scoop for bulk rice and a quart container used in corn starch); and grease or food debris on the inside of the microwave. An administrative complaint was recommended and a follow-up required.

• Checkers Haines City, 36114 U.S. 27 N., Haines City: On July 22, the restaurant had four violations, including two high-priority violations that resulted in a stop-sale order. That was for a both of those violations were for a 40-pound block of cheese and a pound of chili that were stored overnight at 51 degrees. The stop sale was issued on those items. There were also two basic violations: one for an employee drinking a beverage while stirring food on the cook line, and another for old labels stuck to containers after they were washed. A warning was issued. On July 23, the restaurant cleared a follow-up inspection with zero violations.

• Marco's Pizza 8367, 5321 S. Florida Ave., Lakeland: On July 26, the restaurant had three violations, including one high priority. That was for chicken wings and boneless chicken “cold held” above 41 degrees – in this case, 45 degrees. There was one intermediate violation for failing to have proof of state-approved food-safety training for employees, and a basic violation for pans that weren’t properly air dried (wet nesting on a shelf). A warning was issued and a follow-up required.

• Taqueria La Pasadita, 3008 Rifle Range Road S., Winter Haven: On July 26, the food truck had three violations. Its only high-priority violation was for operating with an expired Division of Hotels and Restaurants license. It had two basic violations: one for preparing food outside (cilantro on a cutting board), and another for holding food in an outside refrigerator. An administrative complaint was recommended and a follow-up required.

• Jet's Pizza, 3234 S. Florida Ave., Suite A, Lakeland: On July 24, the restaurant had three violations. One was an intermediate violation: the required food-safety training for all employees was expired. And there were two basic violations. Was for for an employee’s “personal items stored in or above a food preparation area, food, clean equipment and utensils, or single-service items.” The other was for the interior handle on the walk-in cooler needing repair. A warning was issued and a follow-up required.

• Mimi's Bakery, 253 Stuart Ave. E., Lake Wales: On July 25, the restaurant had two violations. One was for the person in charge lacking food-manager certification. The other was for failing to display a current hotel and restaurant license. A warning was issued and a follow-up required.

• Phase III, 118 E. Crystal Ave., Lake Wales: On July 25, the restaurant had only one violation. But it was a high-priority violation for operating with an expired Division of Hotels and Restaurants license. An administrative complaint was recommended and a follow-up required.

• Cuppa Joe On The Go, 3631 State Road 60 E., Lake Wales: On July 24, the food truck had a single violation: operating with an expired license. An administrative complaint was recommended and a follow-up required.

June 17-30:3 Polk County food vendors fall short of inspection standards. See who, and why

Perfection

Twelve Polk County food vendors achieved that elusive perfect initial inspection from July 22 to 28. The list does not include restaurants that had zero violations in a follow-up required by previous violations.

• Jersey Mike's Sub Shop, 49591 U.S. 27, Davenport
• Kuties, mobile vendor, 219 E. Main St. Suite B, Dundee
• Taqueria Los Abuelos, mobile vendor, 4075 State Road 60, Mulberry
• Uncle App's, 815 Lakeshore Drive, Lakeland
• El Gallo Tejano LLC, caterer, 502 E. Main St., Lakeland
• Taquitos Rey, mobile vendor, 19509 U.S. 27, Lake Wales
• Baconwake Food Truck, mobile vendor, 4850 Cypress Gardens Road, Winter Haven
• Taco-Riendo, mobile vendor, 300 Martha Drive, Lake Wales
• The Pink Flamingo, 230 E. Park Ave #27, Lake Wales
• Cajun Cowboy, mobile vendor, 1400 Grape Hammock Road, Lake Wales
• Country Chicken and Fish of Haines City, 404 Hinson Ave., Haines City
• Marco's Pizza #8629, 641 U.S. 17/92 W., Suite 101, Haines City

June 3-16:4 Polk County food vendors fall short of standards during inspections. 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 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.