A Little Caesars restaurant in Florida faced a temporary closure after health inspectors discovered rat droppings contaminating the pizza dough.
This branch, located in Lantana—a scenic town in Palm Beach County approximately 40 miles north of Fort Lauderdale—was cited for seven health code violations earlier this month due to unacceptable kitchen conditions.
Among these violations, four were deemed high priority, indicating a potential risk of causing foodborne illnesses or injuries, as outlined by the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulations (DBPR).
Inspectors discovered that employees had been using pizza dough mix that showed evidence of being chewed on by rodents.
The disconcerting inspection on December 8 revealed about 50 rat droppings found in the same boxes and in the storage and preparation areas where the dough mix was kept.
Specifically, around ten pieces of rat feces were located inside a box containing deep-dish pizza mix, which was stored on a shelf beneath the food preparation area.
More than 30 disgusting discoveries were made ‘in and around boxes containing deep-dish dough sheets,’ according to the DBPR.
Six more droppings were found on a table near the restaurant’s freezer.
A Little Caesars in Lantana, Florida (pictured), was closed from December 8 to December 9 after health officials found several violations
The report states there were roughly 50 rat droppings found in the same boxes, storage and preparation areas as the dough mix (stock image)
Aside from the vermin-related findings, officials also noted that kitchen surfaces used to make the pizza had ‘mold-like substance or slime’ debris on them.
Lesser offenses included a broken towel dispenser at the sink that employees use to wash their hands and a ‘container with no handle used to dispense cheese in the pizza prep area.’ Both of these infringements were corrected on-site.
After the dreadful Little Caesars probe, the restaurant was shuttered until all the breaches were corrected.
And according to the DBPR, the establishment was able to clean up its act in just one day.
On December 9, the department wrote that the site ‘met inspection standards’ and was able to operate once again.
The Daily Mail has reached out to Little Caesars and the DBPR for comment.
When contacted by phone, an employee of the Lantana Little Caesars said they would call back at a later time.
In 2018, a man claimed that he found mice droppings baked into a pizza he ordered from a Little Caesars in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Jonathan McNeil told Fox 28 at the time that he and his girlfriend were horrified by the far-from-wanted addition to their meal.
He ended up contacting the health department, which revealed that the establishment had been dealing with a rodent problem since the previous summer.
Health officials found evidence of rats ‘gnawing on’ pizza dough mix (stock image)
In 2018, a customer claimed that he found mouse droppings baked into the dough of a pizza he bought from a Little Caesars in Indianapolis, Indiana (pictured)
The Indianapolis Little Caesars was closed down on the spot until officials deemed that the violations were corrected.
Another major pizza chain came under fire that same year after a photo of rat poop covered pizza dough circulated online.
A Domino’s in Johnson City, Tennessee, was criticized after an anonymous Redditor, who claimed to work at the pizza shop, according to WJHL.
The Domino’s location was not shut down because health officials said the issue was immediately corrected.
‘This was an extremely isolated incident, confined to a single store, and it’s been puzzling,’ Domino’s spokesman Tim McIntyre said at the time.
‘The affected trays were removed; all others were inspected and new ones were delivered. The health department then cleared the store to open. The store is clean, open and back in business.’
