FLORIDA. State inspectors cited ten Outback Steakhouse locations across Florida for a combined 56 high-severity violations between July 25 and October 22, 2026, with two Orlando-area restaurants and one Gainesville location each drawing seven high-severity citations in a single visit.
The findings span the length of the state, from Jacksonville to Coral Springs, and touch nearly every category of serious food safety failure: food sourced from unverified suppliers, toxic chemicals stored near food, employees not reporting illness symptoms, and food contact surfaces left improperly sanitized.
The Worst of the 90 Days
The Outback Steakhouse on SW Archer Road in Gainesville led all Florida locations during the period, drawing seven high-severity and three intermediate violations in a single inspection. Inspectors cited the restaurant for food from an unapproved or unknown source, a finding that means ingredients arrived outside the verified supply chain that federal food safety programs are built around.
The same Gainesville inspection also documented improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, toxic chemicals stored or labeled incorrectly, toxic substances improperly identified or stored, failure to post a consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods, improper use of time as a public health control, and an employee not reporting symptoms of illness. Single-use items were also found being improperly reused.
The Outback Steakhouse on International Drive in Orlando matched Gainesville's high-severity count with seven citations of its own. Inspectors there found no written employee health policy, an employee not reporting illness symptoms, improper handwashing technique, improperly sanitized food contact surfaces, time as a public health control not properly used, no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods, and toxic substances improperly identified or stored. The single intermediate violation involved inadequate or improperly maintained toilet facilities.
The Outback Steakhouse on S Semoran Boulevard in Orlando drew six high-severity violations, including food from an unapproved source, improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, toxic chemicals improperly stored, and no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods. Inspectors also cited the location for improper sewage or wastewater disposal, a finding that carries direct risk of fecal contamination spreading through the facility.
A Pattern Across the State
The violations are not confined to one region or one type of failure. They show up from Jacksonville to Coral Springs, in tourist corridors and college towns alike.
The Outback Steakhouse on Red Bug Lake Road in Winter Springs was cited for parasite destruction procedures not followed, a violation that means fish or other at-risk proteins may have been served without the freezing or cooking steps required to kill Anisakis, tapeworm, and similar parasites. The same inspection found food not cooked to the required minimum temperature, improper handwashing technique, improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, improperly stored toxic chemicals, and no consumer advisory.
The Outback Steakhouse on S Kirkman Road in Orlando was cited for food not cooked to required minimum temperature alongside no written employee health policy, improperly sanitized food contact surfaces, improperly stored toxic chemicals and toxic substances, and no consumer advisory. Inspectors also noted improper sewage disposal and inadequate ventilation and lighting.
The Outback Steakhouse #2023 on E Silver Springs Boulevard in Ocala was cited for no employee health policy, improper handwashing technique, time as a public health control not properly used, improperly stored toxic chemicals and toxic substances, and no consumer advisory. Inspectors also found improper use of wiping cloths and inadequate toilet facilities.
The Outback Steakhouse #1039 on Point Meadows Way in Jacksonville drew a citation for inadequate shell stock identification records, meaning inspectors could not verify the origin of shellfish served at the location. That finding appeared alongside food from an unapproved source, improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, time as a public health control not properly used, no allergen awareness demonstrated, and an employee not reporting illness symptoms.
The Outback Steakhouse on New Independence Parkway in Winter Garden was cited for five high-severity violations including an employee not reporting illness symptoms, improper handwashing, time as a public health control not properly used, no consumer advisory, and improperly stored toxic chemicals. Improper sewage disposal and inadequate toilet facilities rounded out the inspection.
The Outback Steakhouse on University Drive in Coral Springs drew four high-severity violations: no employee health policy, improper handwashing technique, food not cooked to required minimum temperature, and no consumer advisory. Multi-use utensils not properly cleaned, single-use items being reused, and inadequate ventilation were also cited.
The Outback Steakhouse on S University Drive in Davie drew the fewest violations of the ten locations, but two of its three high-severity citations are among the most serious categories in food safety enforcement: an employee not reporting symptoms of illness, and food in poor condition, mislabeled, or adulterated. The third was a person in charge not present or not performing duties.
What These Violations Mean
The most frequently cited violation across these ten locations was employees not reporting symptoms of illness, which appeared at six of the ten restaurants. Food workers who are sick and continue handling food are the primary driver of multi-victim norovirus outbreaks. Norovirus spreads person-to-person and through contaminated food, and a single infected worker can expose dozens of customers before anyone is aware of a problem. The Davie, Gainesville, Orlando International Drive, S Semoran, Jacksonville, and Winter Garden locations all drew this citation.
Food from unapproved or unknown sources was cited at three locations: Gainesville, S Semoran, and Jacksonville. When food enters a kitchen from an unverified supplier, it bypasses the USDA and FDA inspection systems designed to catch Listeria, Salmonella, and E. coli before product reaches consumers. If someone gets sick, investigators cannot trace the food back to its origin.
Improperly cleaned food contact surfaces appeared at six locations. Cutting boards, prep tables, and slicers that are not properly sanitized between uses transfer bacteria directly from one food item to the next. This is one of the most direct cross-contamination pathways in a commercial kitchen.
Toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled appeared at seven of the ten locations, making it the single most common violation type in this 90-day period. When cleaning agents, sanitizers, or other chemicals are stored near food or in unlabeled containers, the risk is not theoretical. Mislabeled chemicals have caused acute poisoning events in restaurant settings.
The Longer Record
Across all 100 Florida Outback Steakhouse locations, state records show 2,260 inspections on file, an average of nearly 23 inspections per location. The chain's statewide pass rate of 86 percent means roughly one in seven inspections results in a failure, and the average of 4.81 violations per inspection suggests that even passing visits are not clean ones.
The chain has recorded one emergency closure in Florida this year. That single closure, against a backdrop of 56 high-severity violations at ten locations in 90 days, points to a pattern of violations that fall just short of the threshold for immediate shutdown while still representing serious food safety failures.
The no-consumer-advisory citation is worth noting for its persistence: it appeared at seven of the ten worst-performing locations during this period. Outback Steakhouse serves steaks cooked to customer specification, which means undercooked beef is a routine menu outcome. The advisory requirement exists specifically to warn immunocompromised diners, pregnant women, the elderly, and young children that undercooked proteins carry elevated risk. Seven locations were cited for failing to post it.
The Jacksonville location's shell stock identification failure is the one citation from this period that has no straightforward fix through cleaning or policy posting. Without proper records linking shellfish to their harvest source, there is no way to trace a contamination event back to its origin if a customer becomes ill after eating oysters or clams.
