Pensacola Zaxby's Shut Down After State Inspection Is Now Reopened

Photo byCculber007 at en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

In 2024, Zaxby's has expanded its Florida presence with new locations in Gainesville, Chiefland, and St. Augustine, as some examples. Unfortunately, one of Zaxby's locations, in Pensacola, was recently shut down after a state inspection.

What Is Zaxby's Known For?: For Floridians who don't know, Zaxby's is a fast-food chain that specializes in chicken but is probably best known for its Zax sauce.

This is a relatively new chain, having started in Georgia in 1990. Florida currently has around 105 stores.

The location in question at Pensacola's 2640 Creighton Road earns 3.9 out of 5 stars on Google reviews. Many compliment the food and the fast service, but some have noted issues when the manager isn't present. For example, a reviewer with the handle BH Jo wrote, in part:

"...The longer we come here, the more the quality is dropping. The last time we ordered the fries were not cooked...A few times we went in, they were playing in the back. It seems the best time to go is when the one manager is in...Every time he's on duty, the service and food is great... Overall this was the best place we've ordered chicken and coleslaw. Unfortunately, not so much now."

What Happened At Inspection?: According to data from a database maintained by the publication The Tallahassee Democrat, an inspection occurred on May 14, 2024. At that time, 3 violators were found.

2 violations were basic - for old grease and garbage on the ground by the dumpster.

But one was a high-priority violation for 44 rodent droppings in areas such as storage racks leading to the prep area and the ware washing station area.

As a result of some of the above violations, the restaurant was closed. At a follow-up on May 16, 2024, no violations were noted and the restaurant was free to reopen.

This is the first closure for this location, although it was required to have follow-ups on two other occasions.

Please note that an inspection is one glimpse in time and not necessarily how a restaurant conducts itself every day.