For the fourth time in two and a half months – and the ninth time since November 2016 – an Ocala eatery boasting an all-day breakfast has been shut down by a health inspector.
Richard’s Place, located at 316 E Silver Springs Blvd., was forced to temporarily close last week in a drill that appears to have become routine for the eatery’s staff. This time, the inspector found four violations – two of which were identified as high-priority – that forced the restaurant to lock its doors at 1:53 p.m. last Wednesday, April 10, according to a report on file with the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation.
The most egregious violation centered around live roaches found in the building. The inspector reported that approximately three live roaches were found in the gear housing of a slicer, which was removed from the building. Another one also was found in a knife holder, which was discarded during the inspection, the report says.
The second high-priority violation came because chili was being held at 48 degrees in a backroom refrigerator – seven degrees higher than the acceptable level of 41 degrees, the report says.
Two basic violations also were recorded. Those were for grease accumulated on the kitchen floor and/or under cooking equipment and for a buildup of great/dust/debris on hood filters.
The inspector returned the following day and found three violations still in place. Soup was being stored at 64 degrees and spaghetti sauce at 71 degrees, which was placed on a stove to reheat to 165 degrees. And the issues with grease buildup on the kitchen floor and hood filters remained. The restaurant was given more time to correct all three violations but was allowed to reopen at 8:17 a.m. in time for the breakfast rush, the report shows.
Richard’s Place has a long history of health inspector-ordered closures. On March 19, the eatery was locked up when an inspector found five violations, including sugar and flour stored in non-food grade containers and live roaches – three in a wall on electrical conduit lines and two on a kitchen wall by double-door coolers.
Another closure came on Feb. 21 when an inspector reported finding five violations, with the most serious centering on the presence of seven live roaches in the eatery – one by a refrigerator, two behind a conduit in the waiting area, two on shelving in the dry storage area, one on a dish-wash sink leg and one near a prep table leg.
The restaurant also was shut down on Jan. 30 just minutes before the lunch hour when an inspector found five violations, including nine live roaches on a wheel of the gas stove on the cookline and another in the dish wash room.