PITTSBURGH -- Eateries with rodents or animals inside, potential cross contamination problems and food being served at unsafe temperatures. These are just a few of the food safety violations health inspectors find in Allegheny county restaurants.

Some of those problems were found at Lindo's on Western Avenue on the North Side.

A Consumer Alert was posted there last month. Two weeks ago, just when it looked as though things were getting cleaned up, the restaurant was slapped with another alert.

The inspection report spells out, in detail, the violations found last month that led to the first consumer alert.

Hot holding violations, like gyro meat and home fries on the steam table at temperatures that were too cold: 72 and 56 degrees. That is well within the temperature danger zone which is between 41 and 140 degrees. That's at a temperature where food can quickly become unsafe.

There were also cold holding violations: a box of eggs and an egg mixture left out at 65 degrees.

They also found a steam table not operating to keep food warm and thermometers not being used.

On top of that, evidence of smoking in the kitchen, a dishwasher not sanitizing and a blocked hand washing sink.

Soon after the alert was posted at Lindo’s on October 25th, it was covered up. That is another county health violation.

The sign over the sticker read "closed due to gas leak."

Owner Sardar Muhammad Gul said there was not a gas leak and he told an employee to uncover the alert sticker.

That sticker was removed by county health inspectors when they found the violations cited two days earlier had been corrected.

But on that second visit inspectors found two more critical violations: surfaces that needed to be cleaned and sanitized and a potential cross contamination problem involving raw eggs stored over produce in a cooler.

Two weeks ago, after the restaurant had closed, Muhammad showed us how he made those corrections and others.

The dining room had been painted and floors were being swept, but there was still a lot of grime in the kitchen, oil on the floor and grimy build up on the appliances.

There was a list showing the proper order of how food should be stacked to prevent cross contamination. That’s done by keeping raw meat on the bottom.

The steam table that wasn't keeping food hot earlier in the month had a leak which was fixed.

The dishwasher that wasn't sanitizing properly had been serviced, and the sanitizer test strips showed it was working just right.

Gul said the violations there stemmed from the fact that he splits his time between Lindo's and a second restaurant he owns. He said “when you divide your attention you see, it happens like that.”

He said his cook is now taking classes to become certified and he has put up temperature charts to assist employees.

But the day after we talked to Muhammad, the health inspector came back again to check on the latest critical violations.

It was then that Lindo's was slapped with a second consumer alert.

This time, rat droppings were found in the basement, along with mouse droppings.

On top of that, there were several food temperature violations:

Gyro meat in the steam table was too cold at 120 degrees, and colder on the rotisserie, at 94 degrees.

Grits at 125 degrees,15 degrees below the right holding temperature and pancake batter and eggs sitting out at temperatures too warm.

The list in the cooler apparently wasn't being read, inspectors found raw eggs stored above cooked potatoes and a bowl of home fries on the cooler floor.

And just as we had seen, inspectors found a very greasy floor along with other problems.

That second consumer alert was removed last Monday, but inspectors will be back within 30 days to make sure any ongoing problems are being dealt with.

Last month at Franklin's Kitchen, a neighborhood eatery on Perrysville Avenue, inspectors found several violations including four critical violations.

These more serious violations included: foods like sweet potatoes and greens kept in a cooler overnight at potentially unsafe temperatures.

In another cooler, inspectors found chicken curry and rice at temperatures that were too warm, and thermometers not being used to monitor temperatures.

Potential cross contamination problems were also found: raw eggs stored over juice, water, cheese and salad dressing.

And raw beef stored in the freezer over ice cream.

On top of that, inspectors reported there was no certified manager on the premises. That is a critical violation in Allegheny County.

Despite two visits to Franklin's Kitchen, we never heard back from the owner.

The alert sticker was removed October 18th, but there were still problems.

Inspectors found rat droppings in a storage room, there were plumbing upgrades that still needed to be done, and once again, there was no certified food manager on premises.

Inspectors went back and on November 4th there was still no certified food manager working. Many of the plumbing repairs described in the earlier inspection reports were still not done and inspectors found more rat droppings, evidence that rats were still coming in.

WPXI-TV went to Franklin's Kitchen a third time and we were told once again the manager was not available, but that the problems were being worked on.

So, are improvements are being made daily?

A Franklin’s kitchen employee said, "Absolutely, we’re trying to comply with the requirements of the health department.”

Inspectors will find out soon if they do comply. According to the inspection report, they'll be back in the next week for another inspection.

Remember, serving temperature is a critical safety issue.

If the food is not hot enough or not cold enough, don't eat it.

Demand it be thrown out or a new dish be prepared. If you see a restaurant that looks extremely unkempt it could mean there are critical violations in that facility. Report them to the health department.

Click here to learn more about filing a complaint.