Local

Poor food handling, roaches found inside I-Drive steakhouse

ORLANDO, Fla. — A restaurant in the tourist corridor was recently fined and shut down by the state for nearly a week.

The violations at Great Western Steaks and Buffet on International Drive range from poor food handling to insects found inside.

During a routine visit, state inspectors found more than a dozen high-priority violations at the restaurant.

Some tourists talked to Channel 9 about their experiences.

"It was awful," said British tourist Amy Davies. “I went to the toilet and there was a cockroach on the sink."

"It's probably the worst place we've eaten at in Florida," said British tourist Gizd Davies.

An 18-page document filed this week details what inspectors found during a routine stop on Aug. 25.

There were 16 high-priority violations, which included 10 live cockroaches on a wall behind the cook line,; small flying insects in the kitchen, food prep or food storage areas; an employee who washed their hands without soap; and another employee touching ready-to-eat food with bare hands.

"Pretty grim. We should've walked out, really," said Amy Davies.

Manager Marcelo Camilotti blames the issues on past owners, who he said left him with a mess.

"It's OK now. Everything's OK now," Camilotti said. "I agree with you.
Things were not good things here.
But we solved everything."

“Everything is fixed?” reporter Len Kiese asked.

“We did," Camilotti said.

The state told Channel 9 that the restaurant was given an approved license.

The most recent inspection was done this week, and the owners have been given an extension until Monday to fix the violations.