‘Dead rodent present,’ 150 droppings & cigarettes stored on food prep table: 2 South Florida restaurants shut

One dead rodent, 150 rodent droppings and cigarettes on a prep table were among the issues that forced state inspectors to temporarily shut down two Pompano Beach restaurants last week.

The restaurants, Maryland Fried Chicken and MBS Caribbean Restaurant & Bakery, occupy the same strip mall on East Sample Road.

The South Florida Sun Sentinel typically highlights restaurant inspections conducted by the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation in Broward and Palm Beach counties. We cull through inspections that happen weekly and spotlight places ordered shut for “high-priority violations,” such as improper food temperatures or dead cockroaches.

Any restaurant that fails a state inspection must stay closed until it passes a follow-up. If you spotted a possible violation and wish to file a complaint, contact Florida DBPR . (But please don’t contact us: The Sun Sentinel doesn’t inspect restaurants.)

Maryland Fried Chicken 1821 E. Sample Road, Pompano Beach

Ordered shut: July 10; reopened July 11

Why: 15 violations ( three high-priority ), including seven live flies “in dry storage area” and “around cook line in kitchen,” as well as 15 rodent droppings “on utensil and single-serve food utensil storage rack in dry storage area.”

There was also a “dead rodent present” in the dry storage area.

The state also spotted multiple food storage issues such as:

• “Cutting boards stored on the floor next to washing machine in kitchen”
• “Clean glasses, cups, bowls, plates, pots and pans not stored inverted or in a protected manner”
• “Employee personal beverages stored on food prep tables and on cleaned utensil storage rack”
• A “package of cigarettes stored on food prep table opposite cook line”
• “Soiled wiping cloth stored at the fryer in the kitchen”
• “Wet mop not stored in a manner to allow the mop to dry”

The state reopened the fried chicken restaurant the next day after a follow-up visit found just two basic violations.

MBS Caribbean Restaurant & Bakery
1825 E. Sample Road, Pompano Beach

Ordered shut: July 11; reopened July 12

Why: 21 violations ( four high-priority ), including “approximately 150 rodent droppings observed on packaged single-serve items, inside food utensils,” on napkins, storage shelves, canned food packaging and “underneath hand sink and storage racks in storage area adjacent to kitchen.”

The restaurant was ordered to stop selling and trash cooked items such as chicken, pork, vegetables and beef, as well as lalo and rice, that were in a walk-in cooler because the “walk-in cooler door [is] damaged, will not properly open or close.”

Food storage issues included:

• “Bagged onions stored on floor in walk-in cooler”
• “In-use tongs stored on oven door handle between uses”
• “Soiled wet wiping cloth stored by mixer”
• “Bleach, degreaser, and can of Hot Shot stored next to cleaned pots and pans”

The state also cited the restaurant because a covered waste receptacle was not provided in the women’s restroom.

A next-day inspection found one high-priority violation and seven intermediate and basic violations, but the restaurant was cleared to reopen.