One Polk County restaurant was ordered closed by inspectors because of rodent activity from Nov. 6 to 19, according to state inspection reports.
Lakeland Panda World, 6214 U.S. 98 N., Lakeland, in the shopping center on the northwest corner of U.S. 98 and Daughtery Road, was given an emergency order to temporarily close on Nov. 7 after an inspector noted about 120 rodent droppings inside and near the dry storage closet, along the side of the walk-in cooler and near the fryer on the cookline. Of the restaurant’s four total violations, this was the only high-priority violation. In a follow-up inspection the following day, it passed with zero violations.
The restaurant has a long history of meeting standards in inspections dating to 2019. But it was closed by inspectors in Feb. 2019 for one day because of roach activity. Later that year, in July, it received a warning with a required follow-up inspection, but none of its eight violations were for insects or rodents. It cleared the follow-up inspection with zero violations and has met standards in every inspection since then – until this month.
Rodents, insects or other pests showed up in only four inspection reports for the two-week period. And in two of those cases, the restaurants’ overall inspections were solid enough to meet standards with no follow-up required.
Where did pests show up?
Flavor Nation, 817 N. Massachusetts Ave., Lakeland, received an oddball gig on Nov. 7 for a “pest” of a different kind: a bullfrog under the three-compartment sink. It was one of three high-priority violations among 16 total violations. The other two high priority violations were for raw eggs stored over ready-to-eat cooked beef in the reach-in cooler and potato salad that was stored above 41 degrees. A follow-up inspection was required. On Nov. 14, the restaurant was given an extension to fix three violations – one basic (a back door that isn’t self-closing), and two intermediate (both training or licensing issues).
Ling’s Buffet, 4320 S. Florida Ave., Lakeland, received five violations on Nov. 7. Two of those were high-priority and for the same incident: insects found in an opened bag of Pillsbury XXX Patent Flour. (One gig was for the insects, the other for the stop sale that was issued on the flour.) The flour was discarded and the restaurant met standards.
According to the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation, and inspection report is a “snapshot of conditions present at the time of the inspection” and isn’t necessarily indicative of long-term conditions at the restaurant.