Restaurant violations: Action 9 reveals the top offenders

ORLANDO, Fla. — Action 9 takes us inside local restaurants that have been hit with food safety violations that could make you sick. The team analyzed two years of data that included more than 60,000 inspections to identify the top offenders in Central Florida.

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Consumer Investigator Jeff Deal said food safety is important and that’s why Action 9 went through records from Florida’s Department of Business and Professional Regulation to find this information.

Deal walked into N Y Giant Pizza on East Colonial in Orlando and let a manager know it’s one of the top offenders and asked about the results.

“Are you guys worried about getting people sick at all?” Deal asked. The manager responded, “I’m sure that’s probably why I might be back.” He explained he had left the job for awhile and just recently returned to work at N Y Giant Pizza.

N Y Giant’s owner later told Action 9 by phone that the restaurant is old, but it is clean. But last year, inspectors ordered the restaurant to close temporarily for serious issues, including food kept at dangerous temperatures and 70 live flying insects.

SEE: Restaurant violations: Action 9 reveals the top offenders

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Restaurant violations: Action 9 reveals the top offenders Central Floridians continue to dine out at our local restaurants, but do you know if the food is safe to eat? Action 9′s Jeff Deal dug through more than 60,000 state records to show you the worst offenders. (WFTV)

In an online review this month, one customer wrote that she found a dead bug in her chicken wings while eating there.

369 Chinese Restaurant in Winter Springs made the list of top offenders. Deal made a visit and asked, “Is there anybody who could show us the kitchen?”

A manager wouldn’t show the kitchen, but records show it was temporarily shut down in March after an inspector found dangerous conditions including 32 live roaches, some on the prep counter. State inspectors also noted raw chicken was stored over cabbage.

Food safety expert Dr. Kevin Murphy with UCF’s Rosen College of Hospitality Management said, “The raw one can have blood which can have bacteria on it. And if that drips on to a cooked one and you slice it up and use it… you’re transmitting the bacteria to the end user.”

Read: Recall alert: German prosciutto recalled over lack of inspection in US

Murphy used to own and manage restaurants before he became a professor. When talking about restaurant cleanliness he said, “Millions of people get sick every year in the United States.”

That’s why he believes it’s important for restaurants to keep clean and why these state inspections are important.

Little Italy off 192 in Kissimmee also made the list of top offenders.

Deal asked a worker up front, “Have you had a lot of problems with roaches and rodents and things like that?” The worker responded, “I think we did have some, but I don’t know really.”

When Action 9 called later and asked for a manager or owner, the team didn’t receive a call back. But inspectors found rodent droppings on pizza boxes in December of 2022. Around that same time, a customer posted an online review that included a photo of a rat. Eight months later inspectors found roaches on the railing of the bar.

Read: Norovirus on Princess, Royal Caribbean cruises sickens nearly 200 people

Then there’s Poncho’s Tacos and Ice Cream in Daytona Beach. It gets great customer reviews, but hasn’t fared so well in state inspections over the past two years. It had high priority food temperature, sanitation and handwashing violations. It also had problems with roach droppings during one visit last year.

Dr. Murphy said, “Mice, roaches, flies… they’re very concerning because of the bacteria that they leave behind.”

At Tick Tok Diner in Kissimmee last year an inspector found 47 violations in just one visit and gave them warnings for things like mold in the ice machine and live flying insects. And another inspection shows the restaurant was selling imitation crab while advertising the real thing.

While there Jeff Deal said, “Over the last two years, you guys have one of the worst records in all of central Florida and wanted to get what you think about that.” A woman who came from the back to address the inquiry said, “I have no comment.”

By phone, a manager later pointed out the restaurant recently met state standards.

And back in orange county, the Winghouse Bar and Grill on Kirkman Road--also made the list.

Consumer Investigator Jeff Deal questioned a manager, “You’re not aware that you guys have a poor record for food safety and sanitation?” The manager responded, “No, I’m not.”

Last year, inspectors found time/temperature control violations, live roaches in a handful of inspections---including two roaches by the cookline in one visit.

All of the restaurants featured in the main story, except Winghouse, met inspection standards in their most recent state visits. Some of them required follow-up visits to meet those standards. At the time of our visit in April, Winghouse still required a follow-up inspection.

Restaurants in Florida are not required to post their inspection reports like other parts of the country, but they are supposed to provide them if you ask.

If you would like to check the inspections yourself from home, they are available by clicking here.

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Restaurant violations: Action 9 reveals the top offenders Central Floridians continue to dine out at our local restaurants, but do you know if the food is safe to eat? (WFTV)

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