JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Health inspectors in District 5 had a busy week. A total of four restaurants were issued emergency shutdowns. One restaurant was shut down with a roach problem that took three tries to correct.
La Nopalera Mexican Restaurant on Beach Boulevard
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Starting in Jacksonville, La Nopalera at 14333 Beach Boulevard was shut down on October 8. A food safety inspector cited the Mexican restaurant with 15 violations (7 basic, 3 intermediate, and 5 high-priority).
Of the high-priority violations, the restaurant was cited for having one fly in the bar area, improper cold, and hot food temperatures, and for an issue with the grease trap. The latter was causing wastewater to back-up onto the cook line.
The restaurant was also cited for storing raw steak over raw shrimp, a high-priority violation.
La Nopalera was shutdown at 4 p.m. October 8. It was given the go-ahead to reopen the next morning after the high-priority violations were corrected. Time was extended for the crew to correct some cracked tiles in the kitchen.
Restaurant Reports: Failing inspection | Follow-up inspection
Crafty Crab on Blanding Boulevard
The Crafty Crab at 950 Blanding Boulevard in Orange Park got a surprise visit from a health and food safety inspector after a customer complaint. The inspection on October 8 resulted in an emergency shutdown with 10 violations (6 basic, 1 intermediate, and 3 high-priority).
In the inspector’s report, it lists 68 rodent droppings were found in the dry storage room where bags of rice, sugar, seasons, beer, and soda are stored. The inspector also found its potatoes and corn on the cob inventory was not being held at the right temperature.
The inspector noted boxes of chicken, seafood, and cooking oil were being stored on the floor in the walk-in freezer. It’s a basic violation.
The Crafty Crab, which promises the freshest and most authentic seafood in the area, corrected all of the violations and reopened before noon the next day with a perfect score.
Restaurant Reports: Failing inspection | Perfect-score follow up
Jimmy Hula’s
The only Jimmy Hula’s in Jacksonville was closed down on October 7 during a routine visit from the health inspector. The American casual restaurant racked up 14 violations (10 basic, 1 intermediate, and 3 high-priority).
Several basic violations were issued for employees not complying with standards such as storing employee beverages in the wrong place, having personal items in the food prep area, and for the cooks in the kitchen without beard guards.
However, what scored in the shut down was the presence of rodents, with 12 rodent droppings found near soda boxes in the kitchen. The restaurant also wasn’t holding chicken properly. A note in the inspection reports said the manager voluntarily threw the chicken away.
When the inspector returned for the follow-up inspection the next day, the cooks still weren’t wearing beard guards and a dish machine issue still hadn’t been fixed. Time was extended for the dish machine repair and Jimmy Hula’s was allowed to reopen.
Restaurant Reports: Failing inspection | Follow-up inspection
Freddy’s Frozen Custard & Steakburgers on Beach Boulevard
Freddy’s Frozen Custard & Steakburgers at 14016 on Beach Boulevard in Jacksonville was shut down with 12 violations (7 basic, 1 intermediate, and 4 high-priority) . The retro-style chain struggled to clean-up a roach problem after the inspector’s routine visit on October 6 which would keep it shut down until October 8.
It was on October 6, the inspector first found 41 dead roaches through the kitchen area and 7 live roaches on the cook line and near the custard station. During that visit, 6 flies were also found by the prep station.
It was also cited for not holding its beef at the right temperature and for a non-working hand sink.
When the inspector returned on October 7, all the violations had been corrected except for the dead roaches and a basic violation for unused equipment in the kitchen was still there. The restaurant remained closed. The inspector returned the same day and still, the dead roaches were there.
Finally, when the inspector returned on October 8, the dead roaches were gone, and time was extended for Freddy’s to remove the unused equipment. It was allowed to reopen. News4Jax reached out to the Department of Business and Professional Regulations for clarification and will update this story when we hear back.
Restaurant Reports: Failing inspection | Failing follow-up inspection | Third failing inspection | Met inspection standards
All restaurant reports are provided by the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulations. You can search your favorite restaurants and their most recent inspections in DBPR’s licensing portal. News4Jax monitors emergency restaurant shutdowns in District 5.
District 5 covers Alachua, Baker, Bradford, Clay, Columbia, Dixie, Duval, Flagler, Gilchrist, Hamilton, Lafayette, Levy, Marion, Nassau, Putnam, St. Johns, Suwannee, and Union Counties.