A health inspector visited a high-end restaurant in The Villages last week and found three high-priority violations at the eatery.
The inspector visited the Legacy Restaurant at the Nancy Lopez Country Club last Friday shortly before 3 p.m. and cited 88 rodent droppings on the floor under a dry storage shelf and a handwash sink. Another four droppings were found on the floor behind a reach-in cooler, and two others on top of a box of sugar and a sanitizer bucket.
Another high priority violation was cited for raw eggs being stored above sauce in a reach-in cooler. And a third was issued for operating without a license from the state’s Division of Hotels and Restaurants.
The inspection came at a time when the restaurant is preparing to open after a renovation.
An intermediate violation also was listed for milk that was opened and held in the back area of a reach-in cooler without a proper date marking, a report on file with the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation states.
A follow-up inspection was held later in the day, with no violations cited.
Restaurant owner David Suleiman claims the rodent droppings actually were found in the outdoor pool bar and not inside the country club. He reiterated that the eatery was undergoing renovations and wasn’t yet open for business when the report was filed.
“It was something we inherited before we got in the building and was located outside,” he said. “Even being outside we still handled the issue immediately.”
It was announced in September 2018 that the Suleiman family was taking over the Lopez country club restaurant after it was sold by former owner John McDonough. They also have the Greek-styled Amerikanos Grille in Spanish Springs Town Square, Johnny Rockets and RedSauce in Lake Sumter Landing, and the restaurant at Havana Country Club.
