MIAMI, FL. Toxic chemicals were stored improperly near food, employees lacked any written policy telling them to stay home when sick, and food contact surfaces had not been properly cleaned or sanitized — and when inspectors finished their walk-through of Bagel Express at 11616 SW 88 St. on September 3, 2026, the restaurant stayed open.
The September 3 inspection produced 7 high-severity violations and 6 intermediate violations, a total of 13 citations from a single visit. State records show the facility had already been emergency-closed just three days earlier, on August 31, for fly activity. It had reopened September 4.
What Inspectors Found
The two chemical storage violations stand out. Inspectors cited Bagel Express separately for toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled and for toxic substances improperly identified, stored, or used. Both categories carry high-severity designations, meaning inspectors view them as a direct and immediate public health risk.
Inspectors also found that employees were washing their hands incorrectly, that food contact surfaces, including any cutting boards or prep equipment, had not been properly cleaned or sanitized, and that food on the premises was in poor condition, mislabeled, or adulterated. No consumer advisory was posted for any raw or undercooked menu items.
On the intermediate side, the problems ran from the structural to the procedural. Inspectors documented improper sewage or wastewater disposal, multi-use utensils that had not been properly cleaned, a sanitizing solution that was either too weak or applied incorrectly, single-use items being reused, and inadequate ventilation and lighting. Toilet facilities were also cited as inadequate or improperly maintained.
What These Violations Mean
The chemical storage violations are the most acute risk in this inspection. When toxic chemicals are stored near food without proper labeling or separation, the contamination route is direct: a spill, a mislabeled container, a splash during cleaning. A customer would have no way to know, and the restaurant would have limited ability to identify what happened if someone became ill.
The missing employee health policy compounds nearly every other violation on the list. Without a written policy requiring sick workers to stay home or notify management, there is no formal barrier between a food handler with Norovirus and the bagels, spreads, and surfaces they touch during a shift. Norovirus is responsible for approximately 20 million illnesses in the United States each year, and food service workers are a primary transmission route.
Improper handwashing technique is distinct from simply skipping handwashing. An employee can go through the motions of washing their hands and still leave pathogens behind if the technique is wrong. Combined with food contact surfaces that were not properly cleaned or sanitized, the conditions inspectors documented on September 3 describe a kitchen where bacteria can transfer from worker to surface to food with minimal interruption.
The sewage and wastewater violation adds another layer. Improper sewage disposal can introduce fecal contamination into areas of the facility where food is prepared. That violation, alongside inadequate toilet facilities, suggests the hygiene infrastructure supporting the kitchen was not functioning as required.
The Longer Record
September 3 was not an outlier for Bagel Express. State records show 30 inspections on file for this location, with 388 total violations accumulated across that history. The facility has been emergency-closed once, on August 31, 2026, for fly activity.
The inspection timeline in the days surrounding the September 3 visit tells a concentrated story. On August 31, inspectors documented 9 high-severity and 7 intermediate violations, enough to trigger an emergency closure. The restaurant reopened September 4, after a September 4 inspection that still found 4 high-severity and 5 intermediate violations. The September 3 inspection, with 7 high and 6 intermediate, landed in the middle of that stretch.
Looking further back, the pattern holds. On January 14, 2026, inspectors found 10 high-severity and 7 intermediate violations. On November 10, 2025, the count was 11 high-severity and 7 intermediate. The September 10, 2025 visit produced 4 high and 5 intermediate. Not one inspection in the recent record shows a clean result.
The categories repeat as well. Employee health policies, handwashing, sanitization, and food contact surfaces appear across multiple inspection cycles. These are not one-time oversights caught and corrected. They are recurring findings at a facility with nearly 400 violations on record.
Open for Business
State inspectors left Bagel Express on September 3, 2026, with 7 high-severity violations documented, including two separate citations for improper chemical storage near food, no written sick-worker policy, and improperly cleaned food contact surfaces.
The restaurant was not closed.
