An Ocala fast-food restaurant was temporarily shut down last week after a health inspector found multiple violations at the chain eatery.
Freddy’s Frozen Custard & Steakburgers, located at 3558 SW College Rd., was forced to close on Thursday, Oct. 11 after an inspector cited eight violations – one of which was labeled as a high priority – a report on file with the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation states.
That violation centered on live roaches found inside the restaurant. Six were spotted in a dry storage area near an office and 13 others were located elsewhere in the facility, including 10 in the drive-thru area.
The restaurant also was cited for two intermediate violations. One was for hot dogs in a reach-in cooler with no date marked and the other was for “encrusted material” on a can opener blade.
The inspector also cited five basic violations. Those included:
- A case of chicken being stored on the floor of a walk-in cooler;
- Dead roaches found in several places, including a dry storage area, the drive-thru window, under a prep table and inside a cup-holder bag;
- The floor near the drive-thru and at the front counter between a reach-in cooler and a custard machine was covered with standing water;
- Single-service boxes were sitting on the floor in the dry storage area; and
- Chicken wasn’t covered inside a walk-in freezer.
The inspector returned the following day and found continued issues with live and dead roaches, meaning the restaurant was given more time to come into compliance. That happened later in the day on Sept. 12 when the inspector paid a third visit to the restaurant and no violations were found, meaning the establishment – part of a chain based in Wichita, Kan. – could reopen for business.