JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A handful of restaurants recently had trouble passing routine inspections and had to make some big changes before they could reopen.
The Wendy's on Lem Turner Road in Northwest Jacksonville was shut down for raw sewage backing up from floor drains in the kitchen, according to state regulators' records. An inspector allowed the fast-food chain to reopen within a few hours after a spotless inspection.
Athens Cafe on St. Augustine Road in San Jose reopened after a failed inspection. The manager blamed it on renovations in front of his restaurant. He said two pest control companies and a plumber were called after roaches were found throughout the kitchen. It took several follow-up inspections for the restaurant to reopen with a perfect score.
WATCH: Inspectors make rounds at flea market and latin restaurant
The Pecan Park Flea and Farmer's Market had two takeout stations that were briefly shut down. Inspectors said Station No. 1 had more than 120 rodent droppings on the buffet line, drink machine and bottom shelf. More rodent droppings were found on the shelves at Station No. 2, inspectors said. Both cleaned up in time to reopen later that day.
In Lake City, the violations stacked up at the Costa del Sol Latin Restaurant on U.S. 90. According to records, it was a battle of pests in the kitchen, as nearly 20 roaches were found crawling around during an inspector's visit. Records show an employee managed to get rid of some while the inspector was on-site. It briefly shut down until all the citations were cleared the next day.