Florida Waffle House Shut Down After State Inspection - 2nd Closure

Photo byMbrickn, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

I can think of a few different occasions that Floridians might seek out a Waffle House - for a traditional breakfast or brunch and a late-night meal - since most Waffle Houses are open for 24 hours. Unfortunately, one Florida Waffle House - in Fort Myers - was recently temporarily shut down after a state inspection.

About Waffle House In Florida: According to its website, this chain has been serving "good food fast" since 1955. Today, there are over 1,900 locations, around 185 of which are in Florida.

The location in question at 9420 Daniels Pkwy has been reviewed over 2,000 times on Google reviews and earns 4.2 out of 5 stars. Reviews are mixed. Some rave about the food and service. For example, a reviewer named James wrote:

"I picked my friend up from a red-eye and hit this one on the way home. Was exactly as we expected. The service was fast and friendly and my waffles and hashbrowns were yummy and satisfying as usual!"

However, a reviewer named Christina lamented customer service, writing:

"This is a place I was a regular at. When I went in, they had half of the restaurant closed off - only allowing 3 booths to be served and the bar. I'm sorry, but even with all of the booths filled, with the amount of employees that were in there, they shouldn't have had an issue. Pure laziness. As we walked away, they all started cracking up like what they were wanting worked. Keep these lazy employees you'll lose a lot of business."

What Happened At Inspection?: According to data from the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation, an inspection occurred on August 15, 2024. At that time, 7 violations were noted.

Examples of basic violations were things like a "black/green mold-like substance" on the interior of an ice bin, soiled ceiling tiles, and "slime and standing water under (the) drink station shelving closest to (the) kitchen."

High-priority violations came because of the observation of live flying insects and cold items like eggs, ham, cheese, and tomatoes being held at temperatures higher than 41 degrees.

A stop sale was issued for sliced ham and cheese being held at over 52 degrees.

Because of some of the above violations, the restaurant was temporarily shut down. No violations occurred at a follow-up on August 16, 2024, so the restaurant "met inspection standards" and was free to reopen.

This is not the first closure for this location. It also had a closure in September of 2023.

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

The author is not affiliated with Waffle House or any other restaurants.