JACKSONVILLE, FL. Famous Amos on N Main Street drew 12 high-severity violations during the week of October 12, the highest single-facility count among 15 Jacksonville restaurants cited for serious food safety failures in state inspection records reviewed by FloridaFoodSafety.org.
The N Main Street location's violations included inadequate handwashing facilities, improper hand-washing technique by employees, food contact surfaces that were not properly cleaned or sanitized, and a failure to maintain adequate shellfish identification records. Inspectors also found the person in charge was not present or not performing duties, no employee health policy on site, employees not reporting illness symptoms, and a failure to properly use time as a public health control.
That last violation, time as a public health control, is among the more technical but serious failures on the list. It means food was allowed to sit in the temperature danger zone, between 41 and 135 degrees Fahrenheit, beyond the window that state rules allow when temperature monitoring is not being used as the primary safeguard.
The Violations
Fuji 3 on San Jose Boulevard accumulated 10 high-severity violations, including food from an unapproved or unknown source, a finding that carries particular weight at a restaurant serving raw fish. Inspectors also cited the location for inadequate shellfish identification records, improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, no person in charge performing duties, employees not reporting illness symptoms, and failure to use time as a public health control.
The food sourcing violation at Fuji 3 means inspectors could not confirm that ingredients entering the kitchen had passed through USDA or FDA-regulated supply channels. If a customer were to get sick, there would be no paper trail back to the origin.
The Subway on Southside Boulevard drew eight high-severity citations, an unusually high count for a national chain location. Among them: food not cooked to required minimum temperature, toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled, no allergen awareness demonstrated, no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods, and inadequate shellfish identification records. Inspectors also cited two separate handwashing failures, inadequate handwashing by employees and improper technique.
The cooking temperature violation at a sandwich chain is notable. Salmonella in poultry survives below 165 degrees Fahrenheit, and the citation indicates inspectors observed food that had not reached that threshold.
Yashi Sushi on Deer Lake Drive West was cited for seven high-severity violations, including a failure to follow parasite destruction procedures, no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods, and toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled. Inspectors also noted improper handwashing technique, inadequate shellfish records, and food contact surfaces not properly sanitized. For a sushi restaurant serving raw fish, the parasite destruction failure is the most acute concern: without proper freezing protocols, parasites including Anisakis can survive in fish served to customers.
Jax Fish and Chicken Always Fresh on Merrill Road also drew a parasite destruction violation, alongside food not cooked to required minimum temperature, inadequate handwashing by employees, improper handwashing technique, inadequate shellfish records, and toxic substances improperly identified or stored. Two intermediate violations for multi-use utensils not properly cleaned were also recorded.
Steak 'N Shake #583 on San Jose Boulevard was cited for seven high-severity violations including improper sewage or wastewater disposal at the intermediate level, no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods, no allergen awareness, toxic chemicals improperly stored, no employee health policy, employees not reporting illness symptoms, and no person in charge performing duties. A Steak 'N Shake is not a venue where customers expect to navigate allergen disclosures or raw-food advisories, which makes the absence of both more conspicuous.
Purple Roots on Southside Boulevard drew six high-severity violations including food from an unapproved or unknown source, food in poor condition or adulterated, parasite destruction procedures not followed, inadequate shellfish records, no allergen awareness, and employees not reporting illness symptoms. Inspectors also cited improper sewage disposal and multi-use utensils not properly cleaned at the intermediate level.
Starving Like Marvin #2 on West Ashley Street was cited for inadequate handwashing facilities, a physical infrastructure failure that makes proper hygiene structurally impossible. The location also drew violations for improper handwashing technique, food contact surfaces not properly sanitized, no consumer advisory, no allergen awareness, and employees not reporting illness symptoms. Inadequate ventilation and inadequate toilet facilities rounded out the intermediate citations.
Jimmy John's 2174 on San Jose Boulevard drew six high-severity violations including food in poor condition or adulterated, parasite destruction procedures not followed, food contact surfaces not properly sanitized, no allergen awareness, improper handwashing technique, and employees not reporting illness symptoms.
Hard Pressed Burgers on Hendricks Avenue was cited for six high-severity violations: time as a public health control not properly used, no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods, toxic chemicals improperly stored, inadequate shellfish records, improper handwashing technique, and employees not reporting illness symptoms.
Great Wall on San Jose Boulevard drew six high-severity violations including no person in charge, no employee health policy, employees not reporting illness symptoms, improper handwashing technique, food contact surfaces not properly sanitized, and no allergen awareness.
904 Deli on Shad Road drew a single high-severity citation for employees not reporting illness symptoms.
Jax Fish Shrimp and Chicken on Edgewood Avenue was cited for one high-severity violation, no person in charge performing duties, along with an intermediate violation for improper sewage or wastewater disposal.
Hardee's on San Jose Boulevard and Kazu Sushi Burrito on West Adams Street each drew zero high-severity violations. Both were cited only for intermediate violations involving the reuse of single-use items.
What These Violations Mean
The most common high-severity violation across this week's inspections was employees not reporting illness symptoms, cited at twelve of the fifteen facilities. This is not a paperwork problem. Norovirus, the most common cause of foodborne illness outbreaks in restaurant settings, spreads through direct contact with an infected food worker. A single employee who vomited before a shift and returned to work without reporting it can contaminate food that reaches dozens of customers before the end of service. Facilities cited this week include Famous Amos, Fuji 3, Yashi Sushi, Steak 'N Shake #583, Purple Roots, Starving Like Marvin #2, Jimmy John's 2174, Hard Pressed Burgers, Great Wall, Jax Fish and Chicken Always Fresh, 904 Deli, and Jax Fish Shrimp and Chicken.
The food from unapproved or unknown source violations at Fuji 3 and Purple Roots carry a specific downstream consequence: if a customer becomes ill, investigators cannot trace the ingredient to a farm, distributor, or processing facility. That traceability gap is precisely how contaminated food stays on the market longer than it should.
Parasite destruction failures at Yashi Sushi, Jax Fish and Chicken Always Fresh, Purple Roots, and Jimmy John's represent a direct biological hazard for customers eating raw or lightly cooked fish. The required protocol, freezing fish to minus 4 degrees Fahrenheit for a minimum of seven days, kills parasites including Anisakis roundworm before the fish is served. Without documentation that this step occurred, there is no way to confirm it did.
The shellfish identification record violations, cited at Famous Amos, Fuji 3, Subway, Yashi Sushi, Jax Fish and Chicken Always Fresh, Steak 'N Shake #583, Purple Roots, and Hard Pressed Burgers, may appear administrative but function as a traceability safeguard. Oysters, clams, and mussels are frequently consumed raw and are a leading vehicle for Vibrio and norovirus. Without harvest tags on file, a sick customer's meal cannot be linked to a specific harvest area, preventing regulators from pulling contaminated shellfish before more people are exposed.
The Longer Record
Kazu Sushi Burrito on West Adams Street has the longest inspection history in this week's data, with 44 prior inspections on record. This week's single intermediate violation for reusing single-use items is a comparatively minor finding for a facility that has been through that many reviews.
Fuji 3 and Steak 'N Shake #583 are the most concerning combination of inspection volume and persistent high-severity findings. Fuji 3 has 38 prior inspections on record and still drew 10 high-severity citations this week, including the food from unapproved source violation. Steak 'N Shake #583 has 36 prior inspections and produced seven high-severity violations, including no employee health policy and no allergen awareness, categories that experienced management at a long-standing chain location should have resolved long before the 36th inspection.
Famous Amos on N Main has 31 prior inspections on record and led all facilities this week with 12 high-severity violations. The simultaneous presence of no person in charge, no employee health policy, employees not reporting illness, and inadequate handwashing infrastructure points to a management environment where foundational controls are absent, not merely overlooked.
Purple Roots, with 20 prior inspections, is among the newer facilities in this week's data. It drew six high-severity violations including food from an unapproved source, food in poor condition, and parasite destruction failures. Twenty inspections is enough history to have corrected sourcing and handling protocols. The record does not show that has happened.
The Subway on Southside Boulevard has 15 prior inspections on file, the second-lowest count among high-severity violators this week. Eight high-severity citations at a national chain franchise with standardized training protocols and corporate compliance infrastructure is a finding that the franchise system, not just the local operator, would have reason to examine.
