A quick food-court stop at Pembroke Lakes Mall turned stomach-churning for one Pembroke Pines shopper, who says a roach was mixed into her takeout meal from a mall counter. After she recorded video of the insect and alerted state officials, regulators stepped in, and the counter’s closure has other mall diners eyeing their trays a little more closely.
According to Local 10, Bianca Gutierrez says the bourbon chicken and noodles she bought at Kelly's Cajun Grill came with an unwanted extra ingredient she filmed as a roach. She went back to the counter, received a refund, and later filed a complaint with the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation. Gutierrez shared her video with reporters, and a manager at the stand confirmed to the news crew that the location had been shut down.
State inspection led to temporary shutdown
Public inspection records compiled by local trackers show that on April 15, an inspection tied to the Pembroke Lakes Mall Kelly's Cajun Grill counter found multiple high-priority violations and triggered a temporary stop-operation order. Those compiled records list two high-priority violations from that visit and follow the Florida Division of Hotels and Restaurants procedure that allows inspectors to halt operations when conditions are considered a public-health risk. DirtyFL documented the April 15 inspection, and the agency explains how operations can be stopped pending corrections on its inspections page.
Vendor and chain details
Kelly's Cajun Grill is one of the food-court vendors listed at Pembroke Lakes Mall, confirming the counter’s location inside the shopping center. The Pembroke Lakes Mall directory shows the outlet among its eateries, and franchise materials describe Kelly's as a mall-food concept built around its bourbon chicken. Local 10 reports the chain did not respond to requests for comment about the temporary shutdown. IRMG
How common are food-court closures in South Florida?
Data aggregators and local reporting indicate that pest and sanitation issues have led to a string of temporary closures across South Florida this year, including at busy mall counters and other quick-service spots. A region-wide look at inspection results highlighted recurring problems, from insect activity to poor cleaning, and the Miami Herald has reported on several food-court counters ordered closed after inspections. InspectFL has also tracked similar enforcement actions in area malls.
Regulatory note
The Division of Hotels and Restaurants within the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation can order a restaurant or food-service counter to stop operating until cited violations are corrected and a reinspection is completed, and that is the standard the agency applies for temporary closures. The agency’s inspection guidance details the stop-operation process and the follow-up steps establishments must complete before reopening. Florida DBPR
As of this writing, the Kelly's Cajun Grill counter at Pembroke Lakes Mall remains closed while state records and the mall’s directory catch up with the latest inspection results. Shoppers looking for updates on the status of the stand can monitor local inspection trackers or the state’s inspection portal for new reports and reinspection notes. InspectFL
