Tijuana Flats in Coral Springs shut down over roaches in kitchen and dining room

Dozens of roaches found at Tijuana Flats in Coral Springs got the restaurant shut down last week.

The Tex-Mex chain restaurant at 6204 W. Sample Road was allowed to re-open the same day the Department of Business and Professional Regulation ordered an emergency closure for dead and live roaches in both the back and front of house.

A health inspector visited Tijuana Flats on Thursday, April 30, and found 10 live cockroaches and at least 20 dead ones, according to the report. While dead roaches are considered a basic violation, live ones are a high priority that usually merit temporary closure.

The inspector noted five live roaches behind the fire extinguisher sign in the kitchen, three crawling near and on a corn hole game in the dining room, one underneath a rack in the kitchen and one between a wall and kitchen sink.

Behind the fire extinguisher sign, the main problem area, the inspector also found 20 dead roaches. The restaurant operator got rid of the sign and cleaned the wall, but the inspector found another dead roach outside the walk-in cooler and one behind the corn hole board in the dining room.

Staff got rid of most of the roaches during the agency inspection, but the restaurant was still temporarily closed. Tijuana Flats passed a second health inspection later that day and was allowed to re-open.