Broward County's Popular Penn Dutch Stores Closing After Poor State Inspection Reports

MARGATE (CBSMiami) – Broward County's popular Penn Dutch stores are closing.

The meat and seafood stores, with locations in Hollywood and Margate, have attracted customers for decades.

Plagued by recent bad state inspection reports, the company posted a message on social media thanking their loyal customers and announcing they would not reopen their Hollywood store and were closing their Margate store.

"It's very sad, everyone is upset," said Barbara G., who regularly drove from Weston to the Margate store.

The Hollywood store off I-95 between Stirring and Sheridan has been in that spot for 45 years. It was currently shuttered after state inspectors said they found listeria bacteria which can make you sick.

Longtime Hollywood customers Helen Mclean and her mom were stunned to find the doors locked on Wednesday.

"The vegetables and meat are always fresh," she said. "We would have kept shopping if they were open."

State inspectors said they also found listeria bacteria at the Margate store in the fish department and deli.

John Dunn was once a regular shopper in Margate.

"I used to until I got some bad fish," he said.

Dunn was at the Margate store on Wednesday where the checkout lines were extremely long.

He was shopping for canned goods.

"I feel sorry for the employees," he said.

The stores employed hundreds of workers.