A KFC, a Panera, some spiders, backed up wastewater among metro Miami yucky restaurants

A hat trick of vermin in an affluent suburb and roaches at chain restaurants lowlight week’s this short-but-stacked Sick and Shut Down List of South Florida restaurants.

But, before we get started, let’s remind you of how we do what we do:

What follows comes from Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation restaurant inspections of restaurants in Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach and Monroe counties. These are the restaurants that fail inspection. A restaurant that fails inspection remains closed until passing a re-inspection.

We don’t do the inspections. We don’t control who gets inspected. We don’t control how strictly the inspector inspects. If restaurants in your part of South Florida are not included, we have nothing to do with that. If you see a problem and want a place inspected, contact the DBPR.

We don’t include all violations, just the most moving, whether internally or literally moving (because it’s alive or once was alive). Some violations get corrected immediately after the inspector points them out. But in those situations, ask yourself, why did the violations exist in the first place? And, how long would they have remained if not for the inspection?

We report without passion or prejudice, but with two scoops of humor, indignation and exasperation.

In alphabetical order...

KFC, 5850 Wiles Rd., Coral Springs: Complaint inspection, four total violations, three High Priority violations.

A live roach greeted the inspector at the front door, setting the tone for this official once-over.

In the women’s restroom, “five dead flying insects were on the wall.”

Instead of 11 herbs and spices, the inspector counted 18 live flies, three of which were on a dining area wall and two at the soda machine in the dining area.

As for the food, the potato hash in the hot holding unit wasn’t hot enough for safe keeping. The manager tossed it.

Apparently, things were finger lickin’ good (or close enough) during the next day’s re-inspection.

Now, to the next chain. But, first, Aretha.

Panera Bread, 12205 Biscayne Blvd., North Miami: Complaint inspection, four total violations, one High Priority violation.

“Accumulation of debris inside the warewashing machine..the dishwasher machine was soiled.”

What don’t you want to see next to the bread oven in a restaurant based around bread? Yep, a live roach on the floor. Maybe he got sent as a scout for the 10 live roaches behind a cardboard box in the storage room.

Panera passed inspection the next day.

Raja Indian Cuisine & Bar at the Original Wellington Mall, 12794 Forest Hill Blvd., Wellington: Routine inspection, 24 total violations, eight High Priority violations.

The inspector saw “several live spiders throughout the kitchen and dry food storage room,” but didn’t note any web building or web slinging.

READ MORE: Spider web on a mixer, roach wings on walls at a Hialeah bakery

The live roach count reached eight, one of which was next to an instant coffee box in dry storage, four between the walk and caulking near the dishwasher.

And, to complete the hat trick, rodents left poo pieces on top of a wine display cabinet by a self serve station in the dining room; at the dining room server station; next to the wine display cabinet by the mall entrance; and had a little party where they dumped a dozen on top of a wine display cabinet in the dining room.

“Self-service salad bar/buffet lacking adequate sneezeguards or other proper protection from contamination.” The inspector meant the rice pudding in particular and we need to know the rice pudding is protected because, well, it’s rice pudding. Not exactly easy to tell when it hasn’t been protected properly from sneezes and spit.

“Ice scoop stored on top of soiled surface on top of the ice machine.” Ew.

The outdoor bar sink possessed neither soap nor way to dry your hands.

Oh, and Raja lied. “Establishment advertised a specific fish on the menu/menu board but served another type of fish.” The menu said “yellowtail snapper.” The inspector said the invoice from Cheney Bros. said whole South America wild snapper/Caribbean red snapper.

Raja kept perpetrating the next day. The inspector noticed that and the manager killing a couple of roaches on walls near the dishwasher, one next to a clean dish storage rack.

A re-re-inspection got Raja back open.

READ MORE: ‘Black matter,’ not-so-fresh food and other problems at a Broward Fresh Market

Wings & More, 2525 Davie Blvd., Fort Lauderdale: Complaint inspection, eight total violations, six High Priority violations.

“Soiled dry wiping cloth in use.” That’s bad.

Stop Sales hit food in the too-warm walk-in cooler with chicken soup, cooked ribs, deli turkey and sliced chedder cheese, all basura. That’s worse.

The worst: “Sewage/wastewater is backing up through the floor drains. Wastewater is coming up from the floor drain next to the kitchen hand sink. Water is covering the walkway from the kitchen to the walk-in cooler and back storage areas. Employees are tracking water across the floor.”

Wings & More passed re-inspection the next day.