A South Florida woman says she was horrified to discover a roach mixed into her meal at a popular mall food court — an incident that prompted a state inspection and forced the restaurant to temporarily shut down.
Bianca Gutierrez said she was eating bourbon chicken and noodles last week when she noticed something unusual.
“I was in disbelief. I was at a loss for words,” she said. “I was like, ‘Oh my God.’”
What she initially thought might be a vegetable quickly turned into something far more disturbing.
“I was like, that’s not a vegetable,” she said.
Gutierrez recorded video showing what appeared to be a roach with legs and antennae in her food. In the video, she can be heard reacting in shock.
“Disgusted. Very disgusted. Disappointed,” she said.
The incident happened at the food court inside Pembroke Lakes Mall. Gutierrez said the meal came from Kelly’s Cajun Grill.
She returned to the counter immediately.
“They were shocked as well. They didn’t know what to say. They just apologized,” Gutierrez said.
According to Gutierrez, staff issued a refund. After returning home, she sent the video to Local 10 News and filed a complaint with the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation.
State inspectors responded the very next day.
Records show the restaurant was ordered shut down after an inspection uncovered multiple violations, including the presence of roaches. An inspector noted finding roaches on top of a prep table in a rear food preparation area.
A Local 10 News crew later visited the restaurant and spoke briefly with a manager, who acknowledged the shutdown but declined to provide details. No one from corporate responded to a request for comment.
Gutierrez said the experience has changed her habits.
She says for now, she plans to stick to home-cooked meals until she can get the image out of her head.
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