A Silver Springs restaurant was shut down in November for the third time in less than a month and a half.
A health inspector visited Pineapple Sam’s Café, located at 18976 E Hwy. 40, on Nov. 26 and ordered the restaurant to close its doors, a report on file with the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation states. All told, the inspector cited 13 violations – six listed as high priority – at the eatery, which bills itself on Facebook as serving “comfort food with an attitude.”
Three violations dealt with “potentially hazardous” issues concerning cold foods stored in a reach-in cooler at temperatures higher than 41 degrees. Those included macaroni and cheese at 53 degrees, sweet potatoes at 56 and 55 degrees, sour cream at 56 degrees, salsa at 56 degrees and lettuce at 50 degrees. A stop-sale was issued on all of those items, as well as milk and turkey that was found inside the cooler with a marked date exceeding seven days.
The inspector also reported finding dry, hard rodent droppings at various places inside the restaurant. Those included:
- 30 under a prep table and make-table in kitchen area;
- More than 15 on the floor under a chemical rack near the back door;
- Seven on top of a reach-in freezer in the kitchen;
- Three on a towel on a chemical shelf near the back door; and
- One under a hand sink at the front counter.
Other high-priority violations and intermediate violations included:
- Raw shell eggs stored over grits on a make-table on the cookline;
- A sanitizer solution for a wiping cloth exceeded the maximum concentration allowed;
- A reach-in cooler was “not maintained in good repair,” with an ambient air temperature of 60 degrees;
- Refrigerators were soiled with an accumulation of food residue;
- A hand-wash sink wasn’t accessible for employees due to items being stored in it, along with dirty dishes in a sink next to a wash area; and
- The women’s restroom had no toilet paper.
Three basic violations also were cited. A tray of an employee’s personal food was stored on the top shelf of a reach-in cooler. A grease receptacle and dumpster were both located on grass instead of a “proper pad/nonabsorbent surface.” And an ice bucket was stored improperly between uses with the scoop still inside it.
The restaurant was allowed to reopen the following afternoon, though issues with the reach-in cooler and the placement of the grease receptacle/dumpster were cited again, with time extended for the restaurant to correct the problems.
Pineapple Sam’s Café also was forced to close on Nov. 8 after an inspector found 18 violations, several of which also dealt with food storage temperatures, rodent droppings and the presence of insects and other pests. And a similar inspection on Oct. 23 with 22 reported violations – several dealing with food temperatures and rodent and roach activity – forced another temporary closure.