MIDDLEBURG, FL. State inspectors walked into Bono's Pit Bar-B-Q on Blanding Boulevard on September 30 and left behind a report citing food from unapproved or unknown sources, food not cooked to required minimum temperatures, and toxic chemicals improperly stored near food areas. The restaurant was not closed.
The inspection produced nine high-severity violations and five intermediate violations, a total of 14 citations at a barbecue restaurant that has now accumulated 167 violations across 26 inspections on record.
What Inspectors Found
The food sourcing citation is among the most serious on the list. When a restaurant cannot identify where its food came from, there is no chain of traceability if a customer gets sick. Inspectors also cited the kitchen for food not cooked to required minimum temperatures, a direct pathway for pathogens like Salmonella to survive and reach a customer's plate.
Toxic chemicals were found improperly stored or labeled. That violation places chemical containers in proximity to food preparation areas, where a mislabeled or unsecured container can contaminate food without anyone realizing it until someone is already ill.
Inspectors further documented that food contact surfaces were not properly cleaned or sanitized, that single-use items were being reused, and that wiping cloths were being used improperly. All three violations involve surfaces and tools that touch food directly.
The remaining high-severity citations covered the illness reporting chain from start to finish. There was no written employee health policy and employees were not reporting symptoms of illness. Inspectors also found improper hand and arm washing technique, meaning that even when employees attempted to wash their hands, the technique was inadequate to remove pathogens. There was no consumer advisory posted for raw or undercooked foods, leaving customers with no notice that certain menu items carry elevated risk.
Inadequate shell stock identification records rounded out the high-severity list, a citation that means shellfish served at the restaurant could not be traced to a certified harvester if a contamination event occurred.
What These Violations Mean
The combination of no employee health policy and employees not reporting illness symptoms is, according to food safety data, the leading cause of multi-victim outbreaks. Norovirus spreads rapidly through a kitchen when a sick employee handles food without restriction. Without a written policy, there is no mechanism to send that employee home.
The food sourcing violation compounds the risk. If a customer becomes ill after eating at Bono's and investigators need to trace the food back to its origin, an unapproved or unknown source means that trail goes cold immediately. There is no supplier record, no lot number, no recall pathway.
Undercooking is a separate and direct hazard. Salmonella in poultry requires an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit to be destroyed. Food that does not reach that threshold can carry live bacteria to the table. At a barbecue restaurant where smoked and slow-cooked meats are the core product, a temperature violation carries particular weight.
The improper chemical storage citation adds a layer of risk that has nothing to do with bacteria. A mislabeled cleaning chemical stored near food prep surfaces can cause acute poisoning if it contaminates an ingredient. That type of incident does not announce itself gradually.
The Longer Record
The September 30 inspection is not an outlier in this facility's history. The 26 inspections on record have produced 167 total violations, and the pattern of high-severity citations has repeated across multiple years.
Eight months before this inspection, in January 2026, inspectors found four high-severity and two intermediate violations. In July 2024, they found five high-severity and one intermediate. In March 2024, four high-severity and one intermediate. The facility has never been emergency-closed.
The inspection from August 22, 2023 produced eight high-severity and two intermediate violations, one citation short of September's count. The facility passed a follow-up inspection the next day, on August 23, 2023, with zero violations recorded. That same oscillation, a high-violation inspection followed by a clean one, has repeated across the record without producing a closure.
The September 30 inspection represents the highest single-visit violation total in the available history: nine high-severity citations at a facility that has been inspected 26 times and has never once been emergency-closed.
Still Open
Florida's emergency closure authority is triggered when an inspector determines that conditions pose an immediate threat to public health. On September 30, state inspectors documented food from unapproved sources, food not cooked to required temperatures, improper chemical storage, no illness reporting system, and unsanitary food contact surfaces at Bono's Pit Bar-B-Q.
The restaurant remained open.
