Roaches and a broken cooler shut down three local restaurants

Restaurant Report Card

JACKSONVILLE, Fla – Three restaurants were closed last week. Two were because of roaches found near food and the third because they couldn't keep food at a safe temperature.

Managers had to throw out all of the food that requires temperature control in the walk in cooler at Pat Thai on Argyle Forest Boulevard.  Before they could open back up they had to prove the cooler was working properly.  The inspector came out last week and wrote that all the food in the walk in cooler had to be thrown away because it was in disrepair.  He wrote the ambient temperature was 59 degrees when it's required to hold food at 41 degrees.  The inspector also wrote the doors wouldn't close because the gaskets were torn and hanging off the door. The next day the inspector came back and noted there was no food in the cooler but it was maintaining a temperature of 36 degrees and Pat Thai was able to open back up.

We also went to The Original Tunis Seafood and Chicken on 103rd Street after it was cited last week for roaches.  The inspector wrote he found at least ten live roaches on the floor under the reach in cooler on the cook line.  Owner Zee Hamami showed me his latest pest control receipt and said they've been exterminated three times since that initial inspection.

"Here's the last time they were here for pest control," says Hamami.

He said generally they get pest control every single month and his customers have nothing to worry about.

"Bug free everything is clean, everything is good.  We make sure we clean everything daily, everything is good." says Hamami.

The inspector did come back that same day five and half hours later and opened Tunis back up this time with no signs of any bugs.

Finally to Pho 99 Vietnamese Grill on Blanding Boulevard where it had to close for the night after the inspector found eight live roaches in crevices at the work station. The manger was not there to talk with us about the problem but according to the inspection there were dead roaches in the kitchen as well.  More than a dozen dead roaches were found on the floor under cooking equipment.

Pho 99 was able to open back up the next day with zero high priority violations. All the bugs, both dead and alive, were gone and the inspector cleared it until the next visit.


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Anchor on The Morning Show team and reporter specializing on health issues.