PALMETTO, FL -- Imperial Garden Chinese Restaurant on 10th Street East in Palmetto has spent over $60,000 in renovations to the front of the house. But it's the back of the house that had state inspectors busy.
Inspectors found 80 violations in 2009 and 59 of those were critical issues, including live and dead roaches on top of the refrigerator, under the food storage area, on the food line, inside the sink, and even in the sauce on the grill!
"You had a pretty bad roach infestation?" asked ABC Action News Anchor Wendy Ryan.
"Yeah, they caught that because we doing all this remodeling and stuff," said Seng Yan, the owner of Imperial Garden.
Yan has owned the restaurant for the last five years and says the building is over 20 years old. He claims all the renovations to the front of the restaurant caused the roaches to stir up in the back of the restaurant.
"So you didn't notice it?" asked Ryan.
"I noticed that but we couldn't keep it under control," answered Yan.
Inspectors also documented ceiling tiles missing, walls in disrepair, soiled material on equipment, and old food debris on kitchen equipment.
But Yan says it's not always like this.
"So you think they just caught you on a bad day?" asked Ryan.
"I think it was on a bad day because we do clean up in the kitchen once every 3-4 weeks," Yan said.
During our visit, the back kitchen door was left wide open, which is a violation. We also discovered potential fire hazards inspectors may write up including grease coating the stove as well as other appliances. And an extension cord in use.
We noticed buckets of food stored on the floor. State statute requires all food be stored atleast six-inches off the ground.
Yan says he still needs to spend another $4,000 to repair the kitchen but claims his restaurant is clean.
"Should anybody be concerned about eating here? Or do you think your food is safe?" asked Ryan.
"My food is safe- yes, yes, yes," replied Yan.
