Orlando pizzeria closed after a dog, rat droppings found

Nine Orlando restaurants were temporarily shut down this past month for failed health inspections, among them New York Broadway Pizza after an inspector found a dog and rat droppings in the kitchen.

The pizzeria, at 6807 Visitors Circle near Universal, was closed Friday, according to records from the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation.

The owners reportedly told inspectors the dog was a diabetic alert animal, there to alert its handler if their blood sugar dips or spikes.

Records show inspectors instructed the owners to keep the dog in the dining room, and the restaurant was reopened the following day.

“It’s a service dog. Service dogs are allowed by federal law everywhere in the United States,” said a manager of the restaurant contacted Monday, who would only give his first name, Allen.

It’s unclear if the dog was a licensed service animal. The Florida DBPR listed it as an intermediate violation, “which, if not addressed, could lead to risk factors that contribute to food-borne illness or injury.”

According to Americans with Disabilities Act regulations, service animals are typically permitted to accompany their handlers anywhere the general public is allowed and may be used

as an accommodation at work, said Rebecca Williams, an information specialist for ADA Southeast. Service animals are typically not prohibited in a restaurant kitchen as long as proper hand washing is followed, she said.

Regarding the rodent droppings, the restaurant’s manager said, “We don’t have any rodents here. It’s really, really old, and we didn’t see it.”

This is the fourth time in about two years New York Broadway Pizza has been shuttered because of health violations. The location was previously closed for dead rodents and rodent droppings and for operating without a license from the Division of Hotels and Restaurants, records show.

Two popular sushi spots were also among the restaurants that failed recent inspections.

Ta-Ke Sushi Bar, at 1421 N. Orange Ave. in Ivanhoe Village, was closed June 19 after inspectors found rodent droppings and that some raw fish had “not undergone proper parasite destruction,” a report states. The FDA requires dishes that are served raw or undercooked to “be frozen under specific time and temperature requirements to destroy naturally occurring parasites prior to service.”

The restaurant reopened the next day.

Yamasan Sushi Grill, at 1606 N. Mills Ave., was closed June 11 after inspectors discovered roach droppings and live roaches, including where aprons were kept and on a rack where clean dishes were stored. It also reopened the following day.

Neither restaurant returned requests for comment.

Several of the shuttered eateries were cited for rodents and roaches.

Catering by Motti, a kosher catering company at 6807 Visitors Circle that specializes in meals for Shabbat, Kiddush, Passover and Bar Mitzvahs, was closed Friday after rodent droppings were found inside an oven, near a fryer and prep table and below another oven.

Pest control arrived during the inspection, records state, and the restaurant resumed business later that day.

At East Manor, a Chinese restaurant at 5600 W. Colonial Drive in Pine Hills, rodent droppings were found near the dishwasher, as well as live bugs in the kitchen, food preparation and storage areas and dead flies in the coffee station. The restaurant closed June 12 and reopened later that day.

Live roaches were also found at Chai Thai Cuisine, at 13747 S. John Young Parkway. Inspectors closed the restaurant June 18 after roaches were spotted inside a box of jasmine and crate of tea and also on a cutting board. It reopened the next day.

Bryan’s Spanish Cove, a small hotel on 13875 State Road 535 in Lake Buena Vista, was closed June 17 and cited for rodent droppings in its kitchen and food prep area. The hotel, owned by Las Vegas-based Diamond Resorts, reopened the same day.

“A violation was identified, fixed and the lounge area was immediately reopened,” a spokesman for Diamond Resorts said.

A Steak ‘n Shake at 2820 E. Colonial Drive, was shut down June 20 with 26 violations, including for insects in the kitchen and chemicals stored near clean utensils. Inspectors also noted sewage and wastewater backing up through kitchen floor drains in front of a grill where burgers are cooked.

The location was allowed to reopen later that day.

Chilango’s Tacos food truck, based out of Bradenton, was shut down June 28 after inspectors found insects in the kitchen, and food with what appeared to be mold stored with other food. A number for the food truck’s operators was not listed.

Catering by Motti, Chai Thai Cuisine, East Manor and the corporate office for Steak ‘n Shake did not return requests for comment.