ORLANDO, Fla. — 9 Investigates found out an Orlando restaurant with a history of health code violations is planning to expand.
Pho 88, on Mills Avenue near Colonial Drive, was forced to shut down in April after inspectors found more than 100 cockroaches in the kitchen.
Its owners are now looking to start a second business a few hundred feet away in the building next door.
Inspectors have flagged Pho 88 for things like improperly stored food, dishwashers that don’t sanitize and roach infestations.
“Any time we see these types of violations, we should be concerned,” said health inspector Roy Costa. “They are, what we call, foodborne illness risk factors. So, when these occur in a restaurant, the history has been that something eventually goes wrong.”
But Pho 88 is still open and expanding.
Newly field city building permits show Linda Phan, the owner of Pho 88, runs a second company that’s building a wedding hall next door.
Phan did not respond to Channel 9’s inquiries about the plans, specifically what type of food service she will offer at the wedding hall.
A spokesperson from the Division of Hotels and Restaurants said Phan can open the hall under a separate license that’s not tied to Pho 88.
“If the division is going to allow that, then there has to be some very close monitoring of what’s going on there,” said Costa.