Lake Worth pizzeria briefly closes after roaches found
A pizzeria in Lake Worth temporarily closed after health inspectors found more than two dozen violations, including the presence of dead roaches, rodent droppings and rodent chew marks.
In an Aug. 6 inspection, NYPD East Pizza at 127 N. Federal Hwy. had a total of 32 violations, eight of which were high priority, according to data from the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation.
Inspectors found 28 dry rodent droppings in the restaurant: 17 near the walk-in cooler, four on the floor under a storage shelf, three on plastic wrap, two in a plastic container and two more next to a mixer. The manager cleaned up the droppings on site, the report said.
Rodent “rub marks” and chew marks were found along the walls and ceilings, and on the wires above the walk-in cooler, according to the report.
Inspectors also spotted 10 dead roaches inside an empty ice bin and two on a monitoring board next to the pizza cooler.
Other violations included: the dishwashing machine not properly sanitizing utensils; raw chicken stored over prepared food; raw and cooked food stored at improper temperatures; walk-in cooler shelves layered with rust; and no soap present at the hand-washing sink.
The restaurant was also cited for the manager not having proof of certification or proof of state-approved employee training, the
report states.
Nine of the violations were corrected on site, according to the report. The owner of the restaurant told the Post that all violations had been rectified, and he reopened the next day after meeting with an inspector in the early morning.
For the week ending Aug. 12, seven Palm Beach County eateries had perfect inspections.
In south county, five restaurants had no violations: La Tre Vietnamese Restaurant, at 249 E. Palmetto Park Rd. in Boca Raton; Wendy’s, at 9192 Glades Rd. Unit A in Boca Raton; Atlantis C C Snack Bar at 190 Atlantis Blvd in Atlantis; The Sinful Sandwich Company, a food truck business; and Hour Cucina at 411 S. Federal Hwy in Boynton Beach.
D&d’s Bistro Shack, at 2468 Waterside Dr. in Lake Worth, and Innovation Cafe, at 2000 10th Ave. North in Lake Worth, were also violation-free.