482 RODENT DROPPINGS AT COUNTRY CLUB KITCHEN

ATLANTIS — Atlantis Country Club’s main dining room was temporarily closed Jan. 30 after a state inspector cited it for 34 violations, including more than 480 rodent droppings, dead roaches and dead insects.

A Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation inspector ordered the restaurant at 190 Atlantis Blvd. closed until the violations were corrected. DBPR allowed the restaurant to reopen Jan. 31 when nine violations remained.

No one returned voice messages left at the country club’s office and restaurant Monday. However, an employee who answered the phone said the restaurant was cleared.

The restaurant in the city of Atlantis west of Lantana is open to the public serving dinner Wednesday through Saturday. The club also has a snack bar that was not mentioned in the inspection report.

The report listed 22 basic violations, six intermediate violations and six high-priority violations. High priority violations are those which could contribute directly to a foodborne illness or injury. They are as follows:

■ 15 dead small flying insects in the bar area

■ Rodent activity as evidenced by both fresh and dry rodent droppings found in the kitchen and storage areas. The inspector tallied 482 droppings. The greatest numbers were found in a plastic container labeled coconut breading (95), under shelves in the dry storage area (89), under a three-compart-

ment sink (47), under the prep sinks (37) and in the south side wait station (28).

Rodent droppings were also found in the air handler storage room (9), by the dish machine (6), on the cook line and under the ovens (17), on the cook line near the steam tables (20), in a knife drawer (25), in the north wait station (25), under the prep sinks (21), on and in a case of cornstarch, with evidence of chew marks (19), on and in a case of plastic steak markers (15), on a jar of olives (4), on a can of hot fudge (2), on a box of lentils (2), under the prep sinks near the ice machines (19), an employee restroom (1), and in a storage closet (1).

■ An employee handled soiled dishes or utensils, then handled clean dishes or utensils without washing hands.

■ An employee dumped mop water directly into the storm drain outside.

■ Raw beef and raw fish stored over tortillas in a cooler.

■ Stainless polish, air freshener, hand sanitizer, sterno and butane improperly stored. Some were stored next to food.

Intermediate violations, those which could lead to risk factors that contribute to foodborne illness or injury included cream that was not marked with the date opened, no hot water at an employee hand-wash sink, a keg cooler and beer cooler soiled with an accumulation of residue.

Other intermediate violations were a lack of soap in an employee restroom, a soiled soda gun and holster and spray bottles which contained toxic substances but were not labeled.

Among the basic violations were three dead roaches, an employee preparing food without a hair restraint, a rusty can opener and food such as fish and green beans stored on the cooler floor.

A few of the other basic violations noted in the report were freezer gaskets with a slimy, moldlike buildup, water damage and missing tiles on the wall, a hole in the ceiling and water leaking from a pipe in the bar area.