Rodent, bird poop ruin salt, sugar at a Miami Restaurant Depot, ‘Where Restaurants Shop’
The Restaurant Depot chain’s motto is “Where Restaurants Shop” but there’s 7,500 pounds of Domino sugar and 22,250 pounds of salt that won’t be bought from the Restaurant Depot in Medley after a state inspector spotted rodent and bird excreta.
Tuesday’s visit to 8850 NW 77th Ct. by Florida Department of Agriculture inspector Raymond Collada also featured a Stop Use Order on the whole food storage area that threatened the outlet’s ability to function.
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Unlike restaurant inspections by the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation, a failed Ag Department inspection doesn’t close the business until a re-inspection is passed. But the inspector can put Stop Use Orders on areas. If those orders are on enough areas or enough important areas, the business might decide to close.
Collada noted “the ice chute used in the icing for ready-to-eat seafood products found with some oxidation along the chute area” and “various ready-to-eat products, oysters, clams, mussels not protected or covered while in the retail area.”
Collada disapproved of how the Restaurant Depot stored its foods, noting “several boxes of frozen foods stored directly on the floor” and “condensation on the floor from air blowers.” But, he found none of that product ruined.
Collada saw “various pallets of food products (waters, sugars, salts, flours, drinks) being held in the main garage being used for parked cars for clients.”
And this led to the key violation on the inspection.
In the parking garage, Collada wrote, “where various dry foods are held for storage due to available space, I observed the heavy presence of flying birds in the same area as food; some bird droppings; rodent droppings along the corner wall at south side entrance to the facility; rodent droppings on top of pallets of salt and sugar bags.”
Collada dropped Stop Sale and Destruction orders on three 2,500-pound packages of Domino sugar; five 2,450-pound packages of Top Flo salt; and four 2,500-pound packages of Diamond Crystals salt.
Collada put a Stop Use Order on the food storage area, but lifted it after “affected areas were cleaned, sanitized, checked, and released and food entity has implemented a pest management control program.”
This story was originally published December 18, 2022 at 12:47 PM.
