ORLANDO, FL. Back in April 2026, state inspectors walked into Cayjo at 6601 Old Winter Garden Road and documented food that had not been cooked to the required minimum temperature, a violation that means pathogens like Salmonella may have survived and reached customers' plates. The restaurant collected 11 high-severity violations and 7 intermediate violations that day. It was not closed.

The April 6 inspection is now part of a public record that spans 46 inspections and 591 total violations at the same address.

What Inspectors Found

1HIGHFood not cooked to required minimum temperaturePathogen survival risk
2HIGHToxic chemicals improperly stored or labeledChemical poisoning risk
3HIGHNo allergen awareness demonstrated32 million Americans affected
4HIGHInadequate shell stock identificationShellfish traceability failure
5HIGHNo employee health policyDisease transmission risk
6HIGHFood contact surfaces not properly cleanedCross-contamination vehicle
7INTImproper sewage or waste water disposalFecal contamination risk

The undercooking violation was not the only finding with immediate health consequences. Inspectors also documented toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled, along with a separate citation for toxic substances improperly identified, stored, or used. Both violations appeared on the same inspection report, meaning the facility had two distinct chemical-handling failures on the same day.

Inspectors also cited the restaurant for having no consumer advisory posted for raw or undercooked foods, no allergen awareness demonstrated by staff, and no written employee health policy. Those three violations together describe a kitchen where sick workers could prepare food, allergen cross-contact could go undetected, and customers eating raw or undercooked items had no way of knowing the risk.

The shellfish traceability citation added another layer. Inspectors found inadequate shell stock identification records, meaning that if a customer became ill after eating oysters, clams, or mussels, there would be no paper trail to identify the source.

Improper sewage or wastewater disposal was among the intermediate violations. Raw sewage carries pathogens including E. coli and Hepatitis A, and improper disposal routes contamination throughout a facility. Single-use items were also found to be improperly reused, and multi-use utensils were not properly cleaned.

What These Violations Mean

The undercooking violation is among the most direct paths from kitchen to emergency room. Salmonella in poultry survives below 165 degrees Fahrenheit. A customer eating undercooked chicken at Cayjo in April 2026 had no way of knowing the food had not reached a safe temperature.

The two chemical-handling violations, cited separately, describe a facility where cleaning agents or other toxic substances were stored or used in ways that created a contamination risk. Chemical poisoning from mislabeled or improperly stored substances does not require a large exposure. Acute poisoning can result from trace contamination of food or food-contact surfaces.

The allergen finding is significant in scope. Food allergies affect 32 million Americans, and allergic reactions send roughly 30,000 people to emergency rooms each year. When staff cannot demonstrate allergen awareness, customers with tree nut, shellfish, or other allergies are relying on a system that, by the inspector's own assessment, was not functioning.

The absence of an employee health policy means there was no documented procedure requiring sick workers to stay out of the kitchen. Norovirus is the leading cause of foodborne illness outbreaks in the United States, and direct transmission from an infected food handler is one of the most common routes.

The Longer Record

Cayjo Inspection Pattern, 2025-2026

June 4, 20266 high, 4 intermediate violations. High-severity citations continued two months after the April inspection.
April 13, 20266 high, 4 intermediate violations. A follow-up inspection one week after the April 6 visit still produced 6 high-severity citations.
April 6, 202611 high, 7 intermediate violations. The inspection at the center of this report.
April 2, 202612 high, 7 intermediate violations. Four days before the April 6 inspection, a separate visit found 12 high-severity violations.
January 7, 20269 high, 5 intermediate violations. The pattern of double-digit high-severity totals extends back to January.
October 31, 20250 high, 0 intermediate violations. The facility passed cleanly, the only such result in recent history.

The April 6 inspection did not represent a sudden decline. Four days earlier, on April 2, inspectors had visited Cayjo and found 12 high-severity violations and 7 intermediate violations, a nearly identical profile. A follow-up visit on April 13 still produced 6 high-severity violations.

Across 46 inspections on record, the facility has accumulated 591 total violations. The facility was emergency-closed once before, in April 2016, after inspectors found roach activity. It reopened the following day.

The one clean inspection in recent history came on October 31, 2025, when inspectors found zero high-severity and zero intermediate violations. Three months later, on January 7, 2026, the facility drew 9 high-severity violations. By April it was back to 11 and 12 in consecutive visits.

Still Open

State inspectors documented 11 high-severity violations at Cayjo on April 6, 2026, including undercooking, two separate chemical-handling failures, no allergen awareness, no employee health policy, no consumer advisory for raw foods, and improper sewage disposal.

The restaurant was not closed.