HOMESTEAD, Fla. – Longtime restaurant owner Frank Balchan, of Royal Palm Grill, issued a heartfelt apology in an email to Local 10 News Investigator Jeff Weinsier this weekend.
The email comes following a recent food safety inspection that led to Royal Palm Grill being ordered shut by a state inspector.
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The restaurant is located at 806 North Krome Ave. in Homestead.
In the email, Balchan acknowledged his restaurant’s lapses in food safety, taking full responsibility for the incident and pledging immediate improvements.
In a statement to Weinsier, who highlighted Royal Palm Grill in a recent “Dirty Dining” segment, Balchan expressed sincere regret.
“I understand that your job is to report and to expose restaurants that have negative reports on their food safety inspections,” he wrote. “I would like to apologize to the public and my customers for dropping the ball on how I operate my establishment.”
Having been in the restaurant business for over 20 years, Balchan says he takes pride in the dining experience he’s created and expressed deep regret for the recent issues.
“Ever since we reopened after COVID, I have been working hard to make the restaurant what it is today. There are no excuses for me to have a lapse in how I operate my restaurant,” he stated.
Balchan is aware that the negative exposure has put his establishment under scrutiny, and he has promised his customers that they will see positive changes.
“I’ve taken this negative experience to realize that I have to be on top of my game every single day,” he said.
The restaurateur added that he is working to expand the restaurant into an adjoining space that was previously a pharmacy.
“It is very rare that a restaurant owner sends us something like this after being ordered shut,” Weinsier said. “Hopefully Balchan can get zero violations on his next inspection and we can put Royal Palm Grill on the Clean Plate list.”
Balchan closed his statement with a hopeful message: “I have God on my side, which makes it easier. I am doing everything I can to rebuild, and I will not let this situation happen again.”
With the changes underway, Balchan hopes his patrons will continue to support Royal Palm Grill as he works to restore their trust.