A southeast Florida restaurant was ordered shut Wednesday as a live rodent was observed on its premises, authorities said.
Happy Wings and Fried Rice, located in Pompano Beach, was temporarily closed following a routine inspection after a “high priority violation,” the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR) said in an inspection report.
“High Priority – Live rodent present. Observed live rodent crawling on wire rack containing food,” the report stated. Rodent rub marks along the kitchen walls and ceiling and behind the food storage wire rack, as well as “approximately 75 rodent droppings on floor throughout kitchen” were the two other high-priority violations by the restaurant, the report noted.
There also were six basic violations, including that various surfaces were reportedly soiled with grease throughout the facility.
A follow-up inspection Thursday revealed no live rodent but the grease stains reportedly remained throughout the restaurant and rodent droppings littered the kitchen, a separate report noted. The restaurant reportedly remained shut. A third inspection followed Thursday, during which there reportedly was no observable violation.
“While most establishments correct all violations in a timely manner (often during the inspection), the division’s procedures are designed to compel compliance with all violations through follow-up visits, administration action or closure when necessary,” the DBPR said, per the report. (RELATED: Restaurant Ordered Shut After At Least 25 Live, Dead Roaches Found Throughout Kitchen: REPORT)
DIRTY DINING: 🍴🐀A live rodent crawling on a wire rack containing food and “rodent rub marks along walls/ceilings” were just some of the issues found last week at restaurants in South Florida. https://t.co/RetPbSqzKq
— WPLG Local 10 News (@WPLGLocal10) December 4, 2023
Other southeastern Florida restaurants were also ordered shut due to rodent activity on the premises, per the DBPR. There reportedly were “approximately 8 rodent droppings inside old fryer in kitchen area” and multiple other such droppings elsewhere in the kitchen, among other violations, at Jimmy’s Diner, a DBPR report noted Thursday. A follow-up inspection Friday reportedly revealed the same rodent-related violation.
