LUTZ, FL. Food at Bincho Tan on Van Dyke Road was not cooked to the required minimum temperature when a state inspector visited on September 30, a violation that puts customers at direct risk of ingesting live pathogens that survive undercooking, including Salmonella in poultry at temperatures below 165 degrees Fahrenheit. The restaurant logged six high-severity violations that day. It was not closed.
The September inspection also turned up toxic chemicals stored or labeled improperly, food contact surfaces that had not been properly cleaned or sanitized, and a missing consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods on the menu. That last violation means customers who are elderly, pregnant, immunocompromised, or very young had no way of knowing they were ordering food that carries elevated risk.
What Inspectors Found
Two of the six high-severity violations involve the restaurant's raw and lightly cooked seafood program directly. Inspectors flagged inadequate shell stock identification records, meaning the oysters, clams, or mussels served at the restaurant could not be traced to their source if a customer became ill. The missing consumer advisory compounds that problem: diners had no written notice that some menu items are served raw or undercooked.
Improper hand and arm washing technique was also cited as high-severity. This is distinct from simply skipping handwashing. An employee who goes through the motion of washing but uses flawed technique can transfer bacteria to every surface and food item they touch afterward, leaving no visible sign that anything went wrong.
The two intermediate violations round out a troubling picture. Sewage or wastewater was not being disposed of properly, creating a pathway for fecal contamination throughout the facility. Multi-use utensils had not been cleaned adequately, a condition that allows bacterial biofilms to develop on surfaces that contact food repeatedly throughout a shift.
What These Violations Mean
Undercooking is one of the most direct routes to foodborne illness documented in state inspection data. Salmonella survives in poultry that does not reach 165 degrees Fahrenheit. At Bincho Tan, inspectors found food that did not meet that threshold on September 30. Customers who ate that food had no way of knowing it.
The shellfish traceability failure matters in a specific and serious way. Oysters, clams, and mussels are filter feeders that can concentrate bacteria and viruses from the water they are harvested in. When shell stock identification records are missing or inadequate, there is no way to link a sick customer back to a specific harvest lot, a specific body of water, or a specific date. That traceability is the only tool available to public health officials trying to contain an outbreak.
Improperly stored or labeled toxic chemicals represent a different category of risk entirely. A mislabeled chemical container near food prep areas can lead to accidental contamination that causes acute poisoning, not the delayed-onset illness associated with bacteria, but immediate symptoms that can be severe.
The improper sewage disposal violation at Bincho Tan is the kind of finding that can affect the entire facility. Raw sewage contains pathogens that spread through contact, and an improperly managed waste system puts every surface and every food item at elevated risk.
The Longer Record
September 30 was not an anomaly. State records show Bincho Tan has been inspected 26 times, accumulating 176 total violations across that history, with no emergency closures on record.
The pattern in the prior inspection data is consistent. In January 2025, inspectors cited eight high-severity violations and two intermediate violations. In November 2023, the count was also eight high and two intermediate. In March 2024, a follow-up inspection after a six-high-severity visit the day before showed zero violations, suggesting the restaurant can meet standards when inspectors return, but that compliance has not held.
The October 2025 inspection history is worth examining closely. Records show three inspections across two days, October 14 and October 15, with high-severity violations on both the 14th and one session on the 15th, and a clean inspection also on the 15th. That same pattern, a failed inspection followed by a passing follow-up, appeared again in March 2024.
The May 2026 inspection, four months before the September visit, found three high-severity violations and two intermediate. The September inspection raised that count to six high-severity. The direction is not improvement.
Open for Business
Florida law gives inspectors the authority to order an emergency closure when conditions pose an immediate threat to public health. Six high-severity violations, including undercooked food, improperly stored toxic chemicals, missing shellfish traceability records, and improper sewage disposal, did not meet that threshold at Bincho Tan on September 30.
The restaurant on Van Dyke Road remained open after the inspection concluded.
