Dirty Dining: Classic Homestyle Buffet shut down in December for over 185 live and dead roaches

Classic Homestyle Buffet advertises all-you-can-eat steak and seafood at great prices on East Busch Boulevard in Tampa.

But on December 14, 2011 the state shut the place down for 21 hours after finding something else near the buffet and in the kitchen. According to that inspection report, 185 live and dead roaches were seen behind the buffet, near the cook's line, prep table, hand sink, and water heater. And when inspectors went back for a follow up inspection on January 4, 2012 once again, they found the presence of roaches.

Elaine Vo has been the general manager for the last 6 months so ABC Action News anchor Wendy Ryan asked her about the recent roach activity.

"They said there were 185 live and dead roaches, you didn't notice any?" asked Ryan.  "I don't think so. I don't see any," Vo responded.

Vo claims the state closed their doors instead because of fire dangers in the kitchen.

"He said you have to clean the hood so we called someone to clean the hood. And if we clean the hood, we cannot cook, so we shut down for half day," Vo explained.

86 critical violations were documented from February of 2011 to January of 2012. Food at improper temperatures, food not date-marked, food stored on the floor, cross contamination violations, no certified food manager on duty, no proof of required employee training and employees not washing their hands were among those issues.

"Did you retrain some of your employees when you took over to make sure everything was on par to what the state wanted?" Ryan asked.

"Yes ma'am," Vo said.

And Vo feels confident the Classic Homestyle Buffet is clean and up to code.

"Everything is safe. Everything is healthy. Anybody can come take a look and enjoy anytime," Vo said.