Florida Zaxby's Shut Down After State Inspection

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

Floridians who like fried chicken are in luck. The Sunshine State has countless places where you can get your chicken fix. From chain restaurants to grocers to mom-and-pop shops, there is no shortage of chicken choices from fried to grilled to hot. But one Zaxby's location - in Tallahassee - was recently temporarily shut down after a state inspection.

About Zaxby's In Florida: This chicken chain began in Georgia in 1990. It specializes in chicken of all varieties but is also known for its Zax sauce.

Florida currently has around 117 Zaxby's stores.

The location in question, at 5048 Crawfordville Road, gets mixed reviews from patrons, earning 3.3 out of 5 stars on Google reviews. While some had good experiences, there were complaints about incorrect orders and long wait times. A reviewer named Sarah wrote, in part:

"This has to be the worst Zaxby’s location I have ever been to. Slow service. When I say slow, I mean in the drive-thru for 15-plus minutes. Rude service members. They gave me attitude when I requested a refund after missing 2 items from my order. I only wanted those items refunded, not the food we did receive. New management is needed here ASAP..."

What Happened At Inspection?: According to data from the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation, an inspection occurred on September 11, 2024. At that time, 10 violations were noted.

Examples of basic violations were for a "mold-like substance in the interior of the ice machine/bin," "approximately 140 dead flying insects in sticky tape," equipment and utensils "wet nesting" instead of being dried properly, fly sticky tape hanging over the food preparation area, hood vents soiled with grease, and flour with no label.

Intermediate violations came from a grill press with food debris, no paper towels at the hand wash sink, and no proof of required employee training.

High-priority violations were noted for the observation of live flying insects.

Because of some of the above violations, the restaurant was temporarily shut down.

At a follow-up on September 11, 2024, one violation remained, but it was not considered an immediate threat to the public, so the restaurant was free to reopen with another follow-up required.

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