ESTERO, Fla. - A health inspector discovered more than 2 dozen violations at a popular Southwest Florida restaurant.
South Fork Grille in the Coconut Point Mall is back open after too many high priority violations forced it to temporarily close last week.
The health inspector cited 10 high priority, 7 intermediate, and 9 basic violations ranging from multiple roaches in the kitchen to dangerous employee practices.
Among the list of health violations cited in the report were,
- ‘Dead roaches on premises’
- ‘Employee touching food on plate with bare hands’
- Raw fish served without undergoing ‘proper parasite destruction’
- ‘Potentially hazardous food thawed in an improper manner’
- ‘Spray bottle containing toxic substance not labeled.’
And approximately 20 dead roaches and 7 live roaches were found in the kitchen.
Some customers praised the food and atmosphere of the 4-star rated restaurant on Google.
“I didn’t notice anything more than the typical flies. Other than that, I didn’t see any roaches or anything you could worry about,” said one customer.
“There are many great places to eat in Southwest Florida that you don’t need to take this kind of risk,” said Bill Kleinfelter, who’s never been to the restaurant.
South Fork Grille was allowed to open a day after it was temporarily closed after correcting all of the high priority violations.
However, the inspector noted a ‘follow up inspection is required’ for the restaurant to fully meet state standards.
The date of the follow up inspection is unknown at this time.
4 In Your Corner reached out to the restaurant management Thursday. A manager was not available for comment.
