BBQ restaurant owner accused of illegal dumping yet again

'I was wrong for that. I'm sorry about it,' owner says

LAUDERHILL, Fla. – A woman says a restaurant owner previously accused of illegally dumping his rotting food waste was recorded on video doing it again.

Reggie Cross owns Father & Sons Smoke-Til-U-Choke BBQ restaurant on State Road 7 in Lauderhill.

Local 10 News investigator Jeff Weinsier first confronted Cross in August 2018 when the management of a nearby warehouse accused him of dumping then.

"Where have you been dumping your garbage?" Weinsier asked Cross back in August.

"At your mama house," Cross replied.

Cross told Weinsier he runs a professional business and refused to admit he was dumping.

Now, the same property manager who accused Cross of dumping in the past says she has video of him doing it again.

"We see Reggie's truck pull up to the dumpster, and we see them off loading food waste into our dumpster," said Bennie Roth, of Shelter Corporation of America.

Roth manages several warehouses in Lauderhill.

The video she provided Local 10 News was taken July 20 at a warehouse on Northwest 38th Avenue.

The white Dodge Ram that pulled up to the dumpster appears to be the one owned by Cross.

"What goes through my mind is anger. It costs us money to have that dumpster serviced six times a week," Roth said.

Roth filed a police report; however, a Lauderhill police spokesperson wouldn't say if they are investigating the claims.

Weinsier went to confront Cross again.

"Why you got pictures of my truck, man?" Cross asked Weinsier at his restaurant.

Cross was shown pictures that appear to show him dumping again.

"I own up to that. I was wrong for that. I'm sorry about it," Cross told Weinsier.

There may be a good reason why Cross is dumping.

The dumpster behind his restaurant was overflowing, full of flies and surrounded by a nasty brown water that stunk this week.

The city of Lauderhill has issued Cross another violation this week for his overflowing dumpster. 

A city spokesperson said Cross has already racked up close to $45,000 in fines because of his past violations. Lauderhill has placed a lien on the property, but Cross rents.

His landlord didn't return our call.

On top of the dumping issue, a food safety inspector was at Father & Son's Smoke-Til-U-Choke BBQ last week and found 21 violations.

The inspector noted more than 250 live and dead roaches inside the building located at 1550 North State Road 7.

There was an objectionable odor inside, as well.

"I got behind on some things and what I've done was wrong, but my food is the best food in town," Cross told Weinsier.

The Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation allowed Cross to re-open following an ordered clean up and re-inspection.


About the Author:

Jeff Weinsier joined Local 10 News in September 1994. He is currently an investigative reporter for Local 10. He is also responsible for the very popular Dirty Dining segments.