ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - PDQ stands for 'People Dedicated to Quality' but one location in St. Petersburg may not have been dedicated to conditions in the kitchen with live roaches crawling near the food you eat.
Last week, PDQ at 4526 4th Street North had to temporarily shut down for 18-hours after inspectors found over 100 live and dead roaches all over the kitchen.
On Wednesday January 17, the state discovered roaches on the floors and walls, in the prep room, near the ovens, front line, under the three compartment sink, by the prep table, ice machine, chest freezer, chemical rack, cabinets, where tea was brewing and near the reach in cooler.
Roach droppings were also seen near cabinets at the front line and on the walls.
PDQ had some serious food temperature violations as well that could make you sick with inspectors finding many items at hazardously warm temperatures.
All cold food should be 41 degrees or below.
The hazardous food in the cooler included black beans at 45°f, butter at 46°f, sliced cheese at 45°f, milk at 45°f, liquid eggs at 45°f, homemade ranch dressing at 53°f, shredded cheese at 50°f, cut tomato mix at 58°f, homemade blue cheese at 50°f, pepper jack cheese at 52°f, raw chicken at 44°f, shredded cheese at 43°f, and tomato/cucumber salad at 50°f.
Other violations documented include an employee failing to wash his hands, the hand wash sink not accessible for employees to use due to being blocked by a garbage can and equipment in poor repair.
The equipment in disrepair?
The ice machine's slider door, plastic containers, reach in cooler, tiles on the floor, cove molding, dry storage shelving with rust that has pitted the surface and the walk-in cooler shelves soiled with encrusted food debris.
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PDQ's Statement:
Cleanliness and food safety inside all of our PDQ restaurants are of the utmost importance to us.
We noticed a leak in the building more than a month ago and immediately enlisted multiple contractors to help us find the origin of the issue. In the process of searching for the leak, walls were opened, which compromised how the restaurant is sealed off from pests. Once we were able to seal the leak, we ordered our third party pest control provider to perform an additional full fog treatment.
All of our restaurants have ongoing pest control, and we also use a third party inspector at all locations to provide proactive detailed reports several times each year related to food safety and cleanliness. In regard to the temperature concern, the issue came from just one piece of equipment, and we immediately adjusted the settings and fixed the thermostat.
The problems noted were isolated to this location and addressed immediately. We’re open for business, and guests can feel safe and confident dining at PDQ.
