During a review on February 10, 2025, the Jerk Center in Tarpon Springs, Florida, was told to close for a while because three serious violations were found. There were rat droppings all over the Caribbean restaurant at 405 S Pinellas Ave. There were 24 on the floor along the back wall, 6 behind the glass coolers, and 12 behind the stoves on the cook line.
What took place during the check?
The restaurant in Pinellas County, which is known for its oxtail and curry goat, got 4 complaints, with 3 being high-priority and 1 being intermediate. According to reports from the state, this is the third time that the restaurant has had to close. The first two times were in December 2024 and December 2021.
The restaurant broke a lot of rules, like having an outdated license (since February 1, 2025), putting uncooked chicken on top of unwashed onions in a cooler, and having a food manager work with an expired certificate.
But later that same day, during a return inspection, The Jerk Center fixed the main problems so they could reopen with only one minor violation noted by state inspectors.
Even with these problems, The Jerk Center has a 4.6-star rate on Google from 692 reviews, which shows that people in the area like their traditional Jamaican food.
The goal of reporting restaurant inspections is not to hurt the image of a business, but to help other diners who need this information before they decide where to eat.
Violations of High Priority:
- Using a Division of Hotels and Restaurants license that has lapsed (it expired on February 1, 2025)
- Putting raw animal food on top of unwashed vegetables (like putting raw chicken on top of unwashed onions in a cooler)
- Rodent movement was seen because droppings from rodents were found in several places.
Readers are asked to:
Have you ever eaten at The Jerk Center?
What did you think of it?
Pick a Caribbean restaurant in Pinellas County that you love.