Dunedin Restaurant Reopens After Rodent Activity

Rodent droppings and roaches seen during a routine food inspection at a Causeway Plaza restaurant prompted state officials to issue an immediate closure June 4.

State officials cleared the Chinese restaurant for reopening on June 5.

Inspectors reported 11 high-priority and other violations, including dead and live roaches, roach parts on food containers, and large quantities of "fresh" rodent droppings at New China Wok, 2612 Bayshore Blvd., a Florida Department of Business & Professional Regulation report indicates.

Excerpts from the inspection include:

• Observed numerous random roach body parts to include legs, thoraxes, abdomens and wings on food containers, food cans, shelving and floor throughout prep area and storage area.
• Observed more than 200 droppings on top of walk in cooler with an overwhelming odor of urine. 
• Observed two live roaches on cookline. 
• Observed approximately 10 small flies in dry storage area.
• Observed employee washing hands with no soap. 
• Observed poultry cooked to 160° and put into to go container. (Corrected on site.)

The restaurant was shut down June 4 at 3:55 p.m. and was ordered not to open until violations that posed an immediate public health risk were corrected, the report indicates.

Most of the high-priority violations were corrected the following day on June 5, although several basic and intermediate violations remained, a follow-up report indicates.

"Violations require further review, but are not an immediate threat to the public," the June 5 report indicates.

China Wok was cleared to reopen at 10:06 a.m., June 5. 

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