Springfield restaurant cited for rodent droppings

Carl's Main Street Cafe has been warned

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Carl's Main Street Restaurant is a staple in Springfield for more than a decade, but last week a state inspector stopped by and found some problems in the kitchen.

The owner, Carl Gamble, says the droppings the inspector found are partially because of the age of the building makes it difficult to keep rodents out.

"Don't you have some too?  Everybody has them," said Gamble.

Gamble offered a quick excuse about the 30 to 40 rodent droppings on the dry storage floor:

"(Rodents) were here when we got here and they're going to be here when I leave," he said. "There's nothing we can do about it."

A manager explained to the inspector that the air condition unit was just repaired and the droppings came from there.

This restaurant is in the heart of Springfield in an area that's obviously struggling.  It's next door to a vacant building and the owner said he has fixed the problem.

"It's unfortunate. I don't care how much you treat it, what you try to do, I'm an old building, no buildings on this side of me. It happens," said Gamble.

Inspectors wrote up 14 critical violations, some were dealing with cleanliness.

Gamble said it's not a problem because they clean daily, but he admitted there are times when he gets backed up.

"When you come in here at 12 o'clock in the day and you're warming up stuff, it happens.  I mean, you're not going to come in anywhere and it's perfect. Every time you come in here it's not in your home, it's not in your home, that's the way it is," said Gamble.


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