An Ocala restaurant was forced to close its doors last week after a health inspector found roach activity inside the eatery that boasts of serving breakfast all day.
The inspector visited Richard’s Place, located at 316 E Silver Springs Blvd., last Wednesday and ordered the restaurant to shut down just minutes before the lunch hour, a report on file with the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation states. It marked the sixth time a health inspector has closed the business since Nov. 9, 2016, records show.
The inspector reported a high-priority violation when finding nine live roaches on a wheel of the gas stove on the cookline and another in the dish wash room. It also was listed as a “repeat violation” for the restaurant.
The inspector also cited an intermediate violation involving an accumulation of ice inside an upright freezer in the dish wash room. And three basic violations centered on:
- Five dead roaches found in an upright freezer in the dish wash room and a sixth in the dry storage area – another “repeat violation.”
- A filter missing from the hood system above the gas stove.
- A wall exhaust fan with a heavy grease buildup on it.
The inspector returned the following day, Thursday, Jan. 31 and the only violation recorded was the continued buildup of heavy grease on a wall exhaust fan. The restaurant was given more time to correct that problem.
But the diner also was deemed to have met inspection standards and was allowed to reopen at 10:19 a.m., records show.