A restaurant in Leesburg reopened this week after another shutdown by an inspector due to hygiene and food safety issues.
Several violations were found March 13 at Ichiban Buffet, located at 10301 U.S. Hwy. 441, forcing the restaurant to temporarily close following a shutdown for similar reasons from Feb. 20, according to documents on file with the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation.
The inspector ordered that the sale of food stop due to it not being “in a wholesome, sound condition.” This included celery and several cases of broccoli, the report said.
Further inspection revealed a soiled can opener blade, a mold-like substance in the ice machine, a flour scoop with no handle used to dispense food, an uncleanable cutting board, standing water, produce stored in a cardboard chicken box and water leaking from a sink, the report said.
In addition, the inspector saw a sink blocked by a trashcan and inaccessible to employees, keys stored with a dicer and the floors not maintained smooth and durable, the report said.
Some of these issues were corrected on site, but the unmaintained floors and leaky sink persisted into the follow-up inspection on Tuesday, March 19. The rest of the inspection standards were met during the visit, and the restaurant reopened for business.
