Florida Burger King Shut Down After State Inspection - 2nd Closure

Photo byuser Siqbal, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Floridians with a craving for fast, inexpensive food have plenty of fast food chains to choose from - but not all chains are Florida-based. Burger King began in Jacksonville and is based in Miami. Unfortunately though, one Burger King location - in Citrus County's Hernando - was recently temporarily shut down after a state inspection.

About Burger King In Florida: This chain started out in the 1950s with the name Insta-Burger King. It's probably not hard to guess that it took off and became part of pop culture with the introduction of the Whopper.

Many Floridians who want to visit Burger King have access to one since there are around 506 in the state.

That said, Florida has recently lost some of the chain's stores. In 2023, the company announced that it would be closing hundreds of stores. And I wrote about Florida losing two stores that had stood for decades in Jacksonville.

The Burger King in question, at 635 W Norvell Bryant Highway, earns 3.3 out of 5 stars on Google reviews. Some had complaints about customer service and incorrect orders. A reviewer named Raven wrote in part:

"Diet Coke was out, fries were cold. Well, everything was cold. My burger had no toppings, and (my) cookie was gooey...in a bad way. (My) husband's burger had a quarter-sized piece of bacon on it. Like the coin...Just stay home and cook. $34 down the...drain."

What Happened At Inspection?: According to data from the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation, an inspection occurred on September 10, 2024. At that time, 5 violations were noted.

Examples of basic violations were from the dumpster overflowing with garbage, water leaking from the ceiling in the dining room area which was blocked off with buckets catching water, a soiled floor, and standing water.

A high-priority violation came because of raw sewage/wastewater backing up through a floor drain in the kitchen. Notations say, " observed employees walking through wastewater to bag orders."

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

At a follow-up inspection on September 11, 2024, one violation remained, but the restaurant "met inspection standards" and was free to reopen.

This is not the first closure for the restaurant. It also closed in June of 2015.

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 Burger King or any other restaurants.