HIALEAH, FL. Inspectors visiting Cafeteria Raul on Palm Avenue on September 16 found toxic chemicals improperly stored and labeled near food, food contact surfaces that had not been properly cleaned or sanitized, and no written employee health policy to keep sick workers out of the kitchen. They documented six high-severity violations in a single visit. Then they left the restaurant open.
The facility at 1800 Palm Ave has been inspected 24 times and has accumulated 215 violations on record. It has never been emergency-closed.
What Inspectors Found
The chemical storage violations were among the most immediate dangers documented. Inspectors cited the cafeteria twice for toxic substance failures: once for chemicals improperly stored or labeled, and again for toxic substances improperly identified, stored, or used. When cleaning chemicals are kept near food or food prep surfaces without proper labeling, a single mislabeled bottle or a spill during a busy service can contaminate food directly.
Food contact surfaces, the cutting boards, prep tables, and equipment that touch every plate leaving the kitchen, were also found not properly cleaned or sanitized. That failure is a direct transfer mechanism for bacteria from one food item to the next, or from raw protein to a dish that will not be cooked again before it reaches a customer.
Inspectors also documented improper handwashing technique by employees. The distinction matters: workers were making an attempt to wash their hands, but doing it incorrectly, which means pathogens remain on hands that a worker believes are clean.
The cafeteria had no written employee health policy, no formal system to keep sick workers out of food preparation. And customers ordering anything raw or undercooked received no advisory that the food carried elevated risk.
What These Violations Mean
The two chemical storage violations, taken together, represent an acute poisoning risk that is distinct from the bacterial risks that dominate most inspection reports. Improperly labeled or stored chemicals near food do not require a pattern of failures to cause harm. One misidentified container used to rinse a prep surface is enough. The inspector cited this cafeteria for both the storage and the identification failures on the same visit.
The absence of an employee health policy is a structural failure, not a single incident. Without a written policy, there is no mechanism to require a sick worker to report symptoms or stay home. Norovirus, one of the most common causes of foodborne illness outbreaks in restaurant settings, spreads primarily through infected food workers handling food. A policy on paper does not guarantee compliance, but its absence guarantees there is no baseline at all.
Improperly cleaned food contact surfaces and improperly cleaned multi-use utensils compound each other. Bacterial biofilms can develop on utensil surfaces within 24 hours of inadequate cleaning, and those biofilms resist standard sanitizing efforts once established. At a cafeteria serving multiple dishes across a single service period, contaminated surfaces and utensils become a shared vector across every plate.
The missing consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods is a specific risk for elderly customers, pregnant women, young children, and anyone with a compromised immune system. Without a posted advisory, those customers have no information to factor into their choices.
The Longer Record
The September 16 inspection was not an anomaly. The February 2026 visit produced eight high-severity violations and three intermediate ones, the worst single inspection in the recent record. The January 2025 visit logged five high-severity violations. The July 2024 visit logged six, matching this month's count exactly. The January 2024 visit logged five more.
Going back through 24 inspections and 215 total violations on record, the pattern is consistent: high-severity violations appear in nearly every inspection cycle, across multiple years, in overlapping categories. Food safety infrastructure failures, surface sanitation, and chemical handling show up repeatedly.
The cafeteria did produce cleaner inspections in September and March of 2025, each with one high-severity violation. Those results sit between visits with five, six, and eight high-severity findings. The record does not show a facility trending toward compliance. It shows a facility that occasionally passes a lighter inspection between heavier ones.
Cafeteria Raul has never been emergency-closed in 24 inspections spanning multiple years.
Still Open
State inspectors documented six high-severity violations at the cafeteria on September 16, 2026, including two separate chemical storage and identification failures and food contact surfaces that had not been properly cleaned. They noted improper handwashing technique, no employee health policy, and no consumer advisory for raw foods. Three intermediate violations accompanied the six high-severity findings.
The cafeteria remained open after the inspection.
