Dirty dining: Unsafe food temperatures, mold found at Bradenton area restaurants

Florida’s Division of Hotels and Restaurants routinely inspects restaurants, food trucks and other food service establishments for public health and cleanliness issues.

During recent inspections in Manatee County, several restaurants were storing potentially hazardous foods at unsafe temperatures.

Other problems at Bradenton-area restaurants included moldy equipment and lack of employee handwashing.

Here is what inspectors found.

Sea Hut Restaurant, 5611 U.S. 19, Palmetto

• Clam chowder that had been stored in a walk-in cooler overnight had not been cooled from 135 degrees to 41 degrees within six hours. A stop sale was issued due to temperature abuse. A manager discarded the chowder.
• Meats with different minimum cooking temperatures (raw fish and raw beef) were not properly separated from one another in a holding unit. Corrective action was taken.
• An inspector observed cooked carrots and rice that were date-marked as more than a week old in a walk-in cooler. A manager voluntarily discarded the items.
• Crab, shrimp, Munster cheese and cooked chicken were cold held at temperatures greater than 41 degrees in a reach-in cooler. Corrective action was taken. A manager iced the items down and moved them to a walk-in cooler.
• A food manager’s certification was expired.
• No soap was provided at an employee handwash sink in the bar area. Corrective action was taken.
• Spray bottles containing cleaning fluid were not labeled. Corrective action was taken.
• Walk-in cooler shelves were pitted with rust.
• Shrimp was thawing in standing water. Corrective action was taken.
• In-use utensils were stored in standing water at less than 135 degrees. Corrective action was taken.
• Multiple food containers were stored on the floor of a walk-in freezer. Corrective action was taken.
• The floors of two walk-in coolers had standing water.
• A back exit door in the kitchen had a gap at the threshold that opened to the outside.
• A hood system on the cook line was not designed to prevent grease or condensation from dripping onto food, clean equipment and utensils or single-service items.
• There was peeling paint on the ceiling of a walk-in cooler.
• There was an accumulation of debris inside a warewashing machine.

• There was an accumulation of black/green mold-like substance in the interior of an ice machine and/or bin.

• A follow-up inspection was required. The restaurant met inspection standards during a follow-up visit the next day.

The Chateau Anna Maria, 5325 Marina Dr., Holmes Beach

• Raw fish, au gratin, sliced cheese, buttermilk, crab cakes, cooked wings, lobster stock and duck stock were cold held at temperatures greater than 41 degrees in a walk-in cooler. A stop sale was issued for the items due to temperature abuse. An inspector noted that proper temperature was not being maintained throughout the cooler. A restaurant operator discarded the affected items and placed a service call for the cooling unit.
• An inspector observed bug spray meant for outdoor use in the establishment. Corrective action was taken. A manager removed the spray.
• Chemicals were stored next to single-service items. Corrective action was taken.
• A food slicer, a can opener and all cutting boards in use in the establishment were soiled, according to an inspector.
• A menu did not identify which items contained raw or undercooked animal foods covered by the consumer health advisory.
• No paper towels were provided at an employee handwash sink. Corrective action was taken.
• An open employee beverage was stored in a freezer with food to be served to customers. Corrective action was taken.
• Multiple utensils were stored in standing water at less than 135 degrees.
• Food was stored on the floor of a walk-in freezer. Corrective action was taken.
• Fly strips were located over clean utensils. Corrective action was taken.
• Floor drains throughout the kitchen were soiled.
• An inspector observed standing water near a three-compartment sink and in a beer cooler.
• An exterior door had a gap at the threshold that opened to the outside.
• Cutting boards throughout the kitchen were grooved and no longer cleanable.
• Ceiling vents throughout the kitchen were soiled and dripping condensation.
• A follow-up inspection was required. The restaurant met inspection standards during a follow-up visit the next day.

Atria Cafe, 4120 Lakewood Ranch Blvd., Lakewood Ranch

• Yogurt and cooked chicken were cold held at temperatures greater than 41 degrees at a make table and in a reach-in cooler. A stop sale was issued for the items in the reach-in cooler due to temperature abuse. Corrective action was taken.
• A cutting board on the cook line was soiled.
• A mixer head was soiled.
• No paper towels or hand drying device was provided at an employee handwash sink in the kitchen.
• A spray bottle containing a toxic substance was not labeled. Corrective action was taken.
• A wet wiping cloth was not stored in sanitizing solution between uses. Corrective action was taken.
• There was standing water at the bottom of a bread cooler.
• An employee was preparing food without a hair restraint, according to an inspector.
• The interior of an ice machine was soiled.
• A follow-up inspection was required. The restaurant met inspection standards during a follow-up visit the next day.

Applebee’s Grill + Bar, 4301 Cortez Rd. W., Bradenton

• An inspector observed an employee touch raw shrimp and then handle clean utensils without first changing gloves and washing hands. The inspector advised the employee and a manager on proper handwashing procedure.
• Spray bottles containing cleaning fluid were not labeled. Corrective action was taken.
• Walls in a walk-in keg cooler were soiled with a mold-like substance, and walls in a walk-in food cooler were soiled with rust-like debris.
• Dishwasher racks were soiled.
• There was a buildup of black mold-like substance around nozzles on a soda machine at the wait station.
• No handwashing signs were posted at employee handwash sinks at the bar and in the men’s restroom.
• A scoop handle was in contact with raw shrimp. Corrective action was taken.
• The floor was soiled under all equipment on the cook line and in a keg cooler, according to an inspector.
• The restaurant met inspection standards.

Editor’s Note: According to the Florida Department of Business & Professional Regulation, these reports are a “snapshot” of the conditions present at the time of the inspection and are public record. The agency is required to inspect every licensed restaurant at least once per year, but new and “high-risk” establishments tend to be inspected more frequently.

When an emergency shutdown order is given by an inspector, it must first be reviewed and approved by agency supervisors. In order for a business to reopen, an inspector will continue visiting the establishment daily until compliance is met. Some citations may include a financial penalty. Inspectors may also respond to complaints, which can be filed here.

The Bradenton Herald’s weekly dirty dining reports list restaurants where inspectors found issues that might concern the average diner — such as unsafe food temperatures, employee handwashing issues or moldy drink machines — regardless of whether or not the businesses passed inspection.