Old School Florida Diner, The Front Porch Restaurant & Pie Shop, Shut Down After State Inspection

Photo byKevin from Oklahoma, USA, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

It's easy to love a diner. If you're going to splurge and go out to eat, why not enjoy comfort food in gigantic portions with friendly servers and an old-school vibe? Unfortunately, one diner in this category, Dunnellon's The Front Porch Restaurant & Pie Shop, was recently shut down after a state inspection.

About The Front Porch Restaurant & Pie Shop: Perhaps not surprisingly, this old-school diner doesn't have a website. However, from reviews and write-ups, it is clear that it serves down-home dishes in an inviting atmosphere with a front porch.

Patrons have reviewed this eatery at 12039 N Florida Avenue have rated it over 3,000 times and give it a 4.4 out of 5 rating on Google reviews. Many mentioned the down-home cooking, large portions, and fair prices. A reviewer named Lexi wrote, in part:

"...Just wow. I loved everything about this little restaurant. If you’re looking for food that warms your heart and soul, this is the place!! We ordered the country fried steak and the fried chicken breast cutlet...Both of our meals were absolutely delicious! They serve you nice, large portion sizes..."

What Happened At Inspection?: According to data from a database maintained by the publication The Tallahassee Democrat, an inspection occurred on July 31, 2024. At that time, 8 violations were noted.

Examples of basic violations were the observation of dead roaches, rusted shelves, and ice build-up in the walk-in cooler.

High-priority violations came because of the observation of live roaches, live flying insects, and cold foods like cole slaw and potato salad being held over 41 degrees.

As a result of some of the above violations, the restaurant was temporarily shut down.

A follow-up inspection on August 1, 2024, yielded 3 violations, but none were considered an immediate threat to the public, so the restaurant "met inspection standards" and was free to reopen.

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