JACKSONVILLE, FL. Island Wing Grill and Bar on Southside Boulevard drew 12 high-severity violations during the week of September 13, the highest single-facility count among 15 Jacksonville restaurants cited for serious infractions in state inspection records reviewed by FloridaFoodSafety.org.
The citations at Island Wing Grill included no written employee health policy, employees not reporting illness symptoms, inadequate handwashing, improper handwashing technique, food in poor condition, missing shellfish traceability records, and failure to follow parasite destruction procedures for fish. The person in charge was either absent or not performing duties during the inspection.
The Most Cited Facilities This Week
Two restaurants on Southside Boulevard, less than a mile apart, both landed in the top three. Rustic 21 at 3980 Southside Blvd was cited for 11 high-severity violations, including food not cooked to required minimum temperature, food contact surfaces not properly cleaned or sanitized, missing shellfish records, and failure to follow parasite destruction procedures.
Latin Creations on St. Johns Bluff Road South also drew 11 high-severity violations. Inspectors cited food contaminated by chemical, physical, or biological hazards alongside the same pattern of missing illness policies, absent managerial oversight, improper handwashing technique, missing shellfish records, and unsanitized food contact surfaces.
The Normandy Boulevard location of Krystal Restaurant accumulated 10 high-severity violations, the fourth-highest total this week. Among the most serious: food sourced from an unapproved or unknown supplier, food not cooked to required minimum temperature, time as a public health control not properly used, and no consumer advisory posted for raw or undercooked items. Inspectors also flagged missing shellfish identification records at a fast-food burger chain that does not prominently feature shellfish on its menu.
Chophouse Thirteen on San Jose Boulevard drew eight high-severity violations, including toxic substances improperly identified, stored, or used, no allergen awareness demonstrated, no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods, and missing shellfish records. A steakhouse with no allergen awareness protocol on record is a particular concern given that beef and shellfish dishes are common triggers for severe allergic reactions.
Fancy Sushi on Collins Road was cited for seven high-severity violations, including food from an unapproved or unknown source and no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods. A sushi restaurant serving raw fish without a posted consumer advisory leaves its most vulnerable customers, including pregnant women, the elderly, and the immunocompromised, without notice of the risk they are accepting.
Crafty Crab on 103rd Street also drew seven high-severity violations, among them food from an unapproved or unknown source, parasite destruction procedures not followed, food not cooked to required minimum temperature, and toxic substances improperly identified or stored. A seafood-focused restaurant with unverified sourcing and no parasite control documentation is a compounding problem.
The Rest of the Week's Notable Findings
Bonos Pit Bar-B-Q on Skinner Lake Drive drew six high-severity violations, including toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled and an intermediate citation for improper sewage or wastewater disposal. The sewage citation is notable: improper wastewater handling creates a direct pathway for fecal contamination throughout a facility.
Pizza Bella on San Jose Boulevard was cited for six high-severity violations, including required procedures for specialized processes not followed. Pizza operations that use curing, fermentation, or reduced-oxygen packaging require precise written protocols. Inspectors found none.
Gators BBQ on West Beaver Street drew six high-severity violations, including food in poor condition, time as a public health control not properly used, and toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled. Inspectors also flagged inadequate cooling equipment, meaning the facility lacked the mechanical capacity to hold food at safe temperatures.
Aspendos Italian Cuisine on Argyle Forest Boulevard drew six high-severity violations, including food from an unapproved or unknown source, toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled, and an intermediate citation for improper sewage or wastewater disposal.
Three facilities drew smaller but still high-severity violation counts. Thai Green House at the Southside Boulevard shopping complex drew three high-severity violations: no person in charge, employees not reporting illness, and food not cooked to required minimum temperature. Dough Show on Bartram Park Boulevard drew three high-severity violations including no employee health policy and food not cooked to required minimum temperature. Nudo Vietnamese Cuisine on San Jose Boulevard drew a single high-severity citation for employees not reporting illness symptoms.
San Jose Country Club Dining Room drew one high-severity violation for employees not reporting illness symptoms and one intermediate citation for single-use items being improperly reused.
What These Violations Mean
The most pervasive violation this week, appearing at 13 of 15 facilities, was employees not reporting illness symptoms. Food workers who handle food while sick with Norovirus, Salmonella, or Hepatitis A are the single most common cause of multi-victim outbreaks. Norovirus alone causes 20 million illnesses a year in the United States. The facilities where this was cited include high-volume operations like Krystal on Normandy and Crafty Crab on 103rd Street, where a single infected worker can expose dozens of customers in a single shift.
The shellfish traceability violations at Island Wing Grill, Rustic 21, Latin Creations, Krystal, Chophouse Thirteen, and Bonos Pit Bar-B-Q carry a specific danger that goes beyond the food itself. Shellfish, consumed raw or lightly cooked, are a primary vector for Vibrio and Hepatitis A. Without complete shellfish identification tags on file, there is no way to trace the source of a contaminated batch if customers fall ill. The tag is not paperwork. It is the only mechanism that allows a recall.
The food from unapproved sources citations at Krystal, Fancy Sushi, Crafty Crab, and Aspendos Italian Cuisine mean inspectors could not verify that the food in those kitchens passed USDA or FDA inspection at any point in the supply chain. Unapproved sourcing is particularly dangerous at a sushi restaurant, where fish is often served raw, and at a seafood restaurant where shellfish may not be cooked to temperatures that kill pathogens.
Toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled, cited at Crafty Crab, Bonos Pit Bar-B-Q, Gators BBQ, and Aspendos, represent an acute poisoning risk. Cleaners and sanitizers stored near or above food can contaminate a dish directly, and mislabeled containers mean a worker reaching for one substance may grab another.
The Longer Record
The prior inspection histories at several of this week's worst performers make the current findings harder to dismiss as isolated lapses. Latin Creations on St. Johns Bluff Road South has 38 prior inspections on record, the most of any facility in this week's data, and still drew 11 high-severity violations including food contaminated by chemical hazards and missing shellfish records. Island Wing Grill, the week's top offender with 12 high-severity violations, has 34 prior inspections on record. Dough Show on Bartram Park Boulevard also has 35 prior inspections on record and drew three high-severity violations including failure to cook food to required temperatures.
Crafty Crab on 103rd Street has 34 prior inspections on record and this week drew seven high-severity violations including unverified food sourcing and parasite control failures. Bonos Pit Bar-B-Q has 32 prior inspections on record; San Jose Country Club Dining Room also has 32. Both drew high-severity violations this week despite long inspection histories.
Some of this week's problematic facilities are newer to the record. Gators BBQ on West Beaver Street has only 20 prior inspections and already drew six high-severity violations including inadequate cooling equipment and improperly stored chemicals. Thai Green House has 30 prior inspections and drew citations for absent managerial oversight and undercooking in the same week.
Fancy Sushi on Collins Road has 25 prior inspections on record and drew seven high-severity violations this week, including food from an unapproved source and no consumer advisory for raw fish. Whether a sushi restaurant serving fish of unknown origin has ever had a consumer advisory on file is not reflected in this week's report.
