Florida Sbarro Pizza In Sawgrass Mills Shopping Center Shut Down After A State Inspection

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

Floridians who frequent the state's malls know that there are eateries that show up in food courts over and over again. Examples are Chick-fil-A, Panda Express, and Sbarro Pizza. Unfortunately, one location of the latter, in Sawgrass Mills Shopping Center, was recently temporarily shut down after a state inspection.

About Sawgrass Mills Shopping Center: This is a highly-visited shopping center in Sunrise that is popular with shoppers. The mall has been reviewed over 62,000 times and earns 4.6 out of 5 stars on Google reviews.

Many reviewers mention the size of the mall. For example, a reviewer named Everod wrote, in part:

"It's one of the largest malls in America. It carries most of the big-name stores that are individually huge. It is an impossible feat to visit every store there..."

The Sbarro Is Less Highly Reviewed: Unfortunately, reviewers do not give Sbarro the same high reviews as the mall. It earns 2.9 out of 5 stars on Google reviews. Many complain about the expense. A reviewer named Vanessa wrote:

"Just went and asked for a whole pizza and the guy told me they weren't doing that today. I ordered 4 slices and paid 28 dollars. You guys need better customer service and prices."

What Happened At Inspection?: According to data from the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation, an inspection occurred on October 4, 2024. At that time, seven violations were noted.

Examples of basic violations were for a cooler soiled with debris and sanitizing solution not at the proper strength.

An intermediate violation came because prepared lasagne was not date-marked.

High-priority violations were noted for approximately thirty rodent droppings, and cold foods like meatballs, cheese, and breaded chicken being held at too high of temperatures. Also noted was food with no time marking.

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

At a follow-up inspection on October 5, 2024, one violation remained, but the restaurant still "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.