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FLORAL CITY — Pudgee’s All American Hot Dogs, the small eatery with the big following, may have an opportunity to remain open.
A Citrus County fire official was expected to meet with owner John Sterling today for another inspection to help get the roadside restaurant into compliance.
According to the Citrus County Sheriff/ Fire Inspection, Sterling needs to install a fire suppression system over his grill, an improvement the owner described as cost-prohibitive that had not been required when he opened the business in 2001.
He was given a time period to comply, which prompted his decision to close down Dec. 29.
According to Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Heather Yates, the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation lodged a complaint the Citrus County Fire and Rescue Department was obligated to pursue.
“We did that for safety purposes and made a recommendation for Pudgee’s to get up to code,” Yates said. “If we get a complaint, we follow up on it.”
She said it was not their intention to shut the restaurant down and Deputy Chief of Fire Rescue Jim Goodworth would meet with the owner Friday to help get him into compliance.
According to the Department of Business and Professional Regulations, Pudgee’s is currently licensed as a mobile food dispensing vehicle. It was last inspected Nov. 8, 2012, and “met inspection standards” according to the department’s website. It was previously inspected April 12, 2012, with the same result.
However, during the Nov. 8 inspection, Pudgee’s was cited for having electrical wiring in disrepair — a violation, which Sterling showed was promptly corrected. However, he believes it triggered the subsequent fire inspection.
Goodworth explained there is a process in place and the fire department is notified by email when those types of violations are found.
Sandi Copes Poreda, director of communications with the Department of Business and Professional Regulations, said via email, “The Division of Hotels and Restaurants is required by statute to notify the local fire departments and the state Fire Marshal of these types of violations on a weekly basis and would have notified the local and state fire authorities of this inspection in early November.”
She added, “The Division did not have any direct contact with local law enforcement about this establishment.”
“We will see what we can do to help them remain open,” Goodworth said. He has scheduled an inspection for Friday and hopes to meet with Sterling at that time.
Since Sterling posted the closing date on a roadside sign, there has been an outpouring of support for the small family business, as hot dog lovers came in for what could be their last visit.
“It was crazy here. People came out in droves from all over the state,” Sterling said Thursday afternoon, and he was still gearing up for a possible big finale on Saturday.
Contact Chronicle reporter Pat Faherty at 352-564-2924 or pfaherty@chronicleonline.com.
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Yep- it's all Obama's fault.
Yep- it's all Obama's fault. It was just a matter of time with you people. Hey- you know that old saying you guys have, "you can't get something for nothing", and "There's no such thing as a free sandwich"? That applies to government too. I wish our country would just give in and let the Tea Party have their own little Waco style campground. You wouldn't have to pay a thing- but when dysentery comes a' callin, as Schwartzenegger (remember him) would say- "You're on your own". I would worry for your children, but most of you don't have any as you only think of yourself. Responses?
Poor Old Pudgy's Hotdog Stand
Poor Old Pudgy and his hotdog stand picked on by big brother and forced to comply with mean old government regulations that are put in place to protect the public, himself, his employees, family and those tax payored public servants who may have to respond to his establishment in the middle of the night and risk their lives to put out his grease fire because he thought it was cost prohibitive,intrusive and just down right unfair that he had to comply with the rules. BTW when was the last time Pudgy's hotdog stand was mobile, seems to be a pretty permanent fixture on the side of the road to me. Like he said been there for years which I guess means I should not have to comply with the rules like all the other lawful food establishments have to do and I am just going to do what I want. Regardless, mobile or permanent his hotdog stand is cooking up food that requires certain State Fire Safety Standards to be met. Although he has been in business for years and this was never a problem before, it is obvious from the article that his own neglect of proper wiring within his business warranted another Government agency to report him so if you ask me he brought these inspections and problems upon himself. So like it or not these standards and safety requirements have been in place for years and just because you get away with something for years doesn't make it right nor does it make it safe or lawful. Basically, he just got caught it is that simple. You see old Pudgy could sling hotdogs all day long, serve potatoes salad, coleslaw, chips, baked french fries, subs, cold cuts and stay in business. But instead Pudgy chooses to serve food items that require a hood system to be in place and in working condition. But I guess it is easier to cry Bad Big Brother is pickin on me and garner up public support for his hotdog stand through the Chronicle than it is to come up with real solutions that would keep him in business legally and at the same time remain profitable.
Figure it out
They need to figure this out and resolve it. It's ridiculous to blindside a small operator like this with a major capital purchase for something he hasn't been required to have for 12 years.
One Wiener at a Time
2 or 3 Government agencies, 5 - 10 people...
Big Government, your taxes keeping America safe one Hot Dog at a time.
Small family business, extinct. Sad.
Whose Weiner?
I have no doubt that if you were getting your wiener at Pudgies and the whole thing blew up due to gas and bad wiring you would throw a fit through your bandages about how the government should have been there to protect you and help you sue the pants off of Pudgies. So get off your pathetic government rant thing.
That said, I love Pudgies. Have eaten there for years and I sincerely hope that the powers-that-be are able to keep this hard working family business going. It can, and should be done. Lord knows they have the best french fries in Florida!
Own a business
You clearly do not own your own business because you do not understand what the intrusion of government entities does to the entrepeneurial spirit. Does there need to be regulation control, yes. I would like safe food products. But the number of taxes, fees and levi's is ridiculous. Should he be forced to put in handicap access and parking. What about multi-lingual. Should he be able to serve an extra large coke. Does he need to provide mandatory healthcare insurance. What about the double tax he pays for Social Security. How does he dispose of his used cooking oil. Has anyone done a study on traffic patterns around his business. Where is the nutritional value on his menu... The list goes on. And every time one of those questions is asked and enforced, there is a cost to comply and a regulatory body(overpaid government worker((and his/her manager)) ) to check up on him. We pay those people and their benefits through our taxes. Who pays for Pudgees healthcare?? Obamacare includes 18,000 IRS agents(paid by taxes) to check up on businesses just like this. Don't believe it, read the legislation. The people who passed it clearly did not.
You want employment to go up, give the person who employs 10 workers or 30 workers of 4 workers the chance to run a profitable business without undo regulation.
And BTW - They should pass tort reform. The scumbag attorneys and ambulance chasers that feel they need to litigate every time someone gets a hang nail would reduce the cost of the insurance that this business owner needs to pay as well.