Florida Checkers Restaurant Shut Down After State Inspection - 15 Violations

Photo byGaming4JC, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Floridians who have a craving for fast food have many choices - including McDonald's, KFC, and Florida-based Burger King to name just a few. Some of the fast food chains serve milkshakes and others do not. But one chain that does - Checkers - was recently temporarily shut down after a state inspection at a Temple Terrace location.

About Checkers In Florida: The company's website shares the belief that fast food can be elevated to be high quality. You won't just get burgers and fries at Checkers. You can also get chicken wings, fish, and hot dogs.

The chain sometimes offers discounts like five menu items for $5.

The location in question, at 8800 56 Street in Temple Terrace, earns 3.6 out of 5 stars on Google reviews. While some had good experiences, others mentioned customer service or cleanliness issues. A reviewer with the handle L- wrote, in part:

"They really need to improve the look and the overall store outside and inside appearance. It's a huge turn-off to see employees not adhering to the sanitation policies."

What Happened At Inspection?: According to data from the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation, an inspection occurred on August 21, 2024. At that time, 15 violations were noted.

Examples of basic violations were unclean bathroom facilities, the observation of dead flies, debris on the corner of an ice machine, soda bibs being stored on the floor, the "accumulation of (a) black substance/grease/food debris" on the interior of a microwave, single-use items being stored on the floor, slow draining water in the handwash sink, and unwashed tomatoes being stored with ready to eat beef and hot dogs.

Intermediate violations came because the food manager certification had expired and no paper towels were at the handwash sink.

A high-priority violation came because of dozens of live flies observed in various areas of the restaurant.

As a result of some of the above violations, the restaurant was temporarily shut down. A follow-up on August 21st still yieleded 14 violations. However, on August 22nd, the restaurant had 9 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.