MARATHON, FL. Back in April, state inspectors walked into Blu Bistro on Sombrero Boulevard and found food that had not been cooked to the required minimum temperature, a violation that means live pathogens, including Salmonella in poultry, could reach a customer's plate.
That was one of seven high-severity violations documented during the April 17 inspection. The restaurant was not closed.
What Inspectors Found
Blu Bistro: Recent Inspection Severity, 2024–2026
The undercooked food violation was not the only finding that carried direct risk to customers. Inspectors also cited inadequate handwashing by food employees and inadequate handwashing facilities, meaning the physical infrastructure required for basic hygiene was not in place.
Toxic chemicals were improperly stored or labeled, a violation that creates a direct contamination pathway to food. The restaurant also had no consumer advisory posted for raw or undercooked items, leaving customers with no notice that certain dishes carry elevated risk.
Rounding out the high-severity findings: no person in charge was present or performing supervisory duties, and there was no written employee health policy. Three intermediate violations covered multi-use utensils not properly cleaned, inadequate cooling and cold-holding equipment, and inadequate ventilation and lighting.
What These Violations Mean
The undercooked food violation is among the most direct hazards in this inspection record. Salmonella in poultry survives below 165 degrees Fahrenheit. A customer eating undercooked chicken at Blu Bistro in April had no warning, because the restaurant also lacked a consumer advisory for raw or undercooked items. That combination, food cooked below safe temperature and no disclosure to the diner, removes every layer of protection a customer might otherwise have.
The handwashing violations compound that risk. Improper handwashing is the single most documented pathway for spreading foodborne illness, and the citation here covered both the behavior of employees and the physical facilities themselves. When the sinks, soap, or access points needed for hand hygiene are inadequate, correct handwashing becomes structurally impossible, not just unlikely.
The toxic chemical storage violation is a separate category of danger. Improperly stored or mislabeled chemicals near food preparation areas can cause acute poisoning through direct contamination. It does not require a pattern of negligence to cause harm. A single mislabeled container near food is enough.
The absence of a person in charge performing supervisory duties ties all of these together. CDC data shows that establishments without active managerial control accumulate critical violations at three times the rate of those with engaged supervision. At Blu Bistro on April 17, inspectors found no one filling that role.
The Longer Record
The April inspection was not an outlier. State records show Blu Bistro has been inspected 34 times and has accumulated 376 total violations across that history. Every inspection on record from the past two years has resulted in at least seven high-severity violations.
The January 2026 inspection, just three months before April's visit, produced nine high-severity and four intermediate violations. The July 2025 inspection produced ten high-severity violations, the highest single-visit count in the recent record. The February and January 2025 inspections logged seven and eight high-severity violations respectively.
The facility was emergency-closed once, on February 13, 2024, for rodent activity. It reopened the same day. That closure came on a date when two separate inspections were conducted, one with three high-severity violations and one with seven high-severity and five intermediate violations.
The April 17, 2026 inspection, with its seven high-severity findings including undercooked food and improperly stored toxic chemicals, is consistent with a pattern that has held across multiple inspectors, multiple seasons, and multiple years. The restaurant remained open after that inspection.