HIALEAH, FL. — Two restaurants inside the food court at Westland Mall were temporarily shut down this week after state inspectors found rodent droppings and a string of other violations in their kitchens.
Kelly’s Cajun Grill and Danny’s Pizza Miami Style were both ordered closed on Sept. 21 following inspections by the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation. Both have since passed follow-up inspections and reopened.
Kelly’s had the worse of it.
Inspectors counted more than 50 rodent droppings spread across the kitchen and storage areas. More than 20 were clustered under and around the ice machine, while others were found on the floor, near the hand-washing sink and on top of the soda syrup case. Three droppings were also found on seasoning containers in dry storage.
The report flagged mold-like buildup inside the ice machine, a hole in the wall near the dish sink and food being held at unsafe temperatures. Kelly’s received 18 violations, three of them high-priority.
It wasn’t the first time this summer.
Back in July, the same location was closed after inspectors found rodent droppings and roaches in the kitchen, along with more mold-like buildup inside the ice machine. That inspection resulted in 23 violations.
Danny’s Pizza Miami Style, a few doors down, had a smaller but similar problem. Inspectors found more than 20 rodent droppings behind the chest freezers, along with additional droppings underneath the three-compartment sink. Seven violations were recorded in total.
Neither restaurant stayed closed for long. Kelly’s passed its follow-up inspection and reopened Sept. 22. Danny’s also passed its follow-up inspection and returned to service.
The closures were first reported by Local 10 News, which reviewed the state’s inspection records.
Both restaurants are back open now. For Kelly’s, however, the latest closure marks the second rodent-related shutdown at the same Westland Mall location in just a few months.
