CLERMONT, FL. A state inspector walked into Cedar Grill at 2407 S Hwy 27 on August 27 and found food not cooked to its required minimum temperature, meaning customers that day were served meat that had not reached the heat needed to kill Salmonella and other pathogens. That was one of eight high-severity violations documented in a single visit. The restaurant was not closed.
The August 27 inspection produced 8 high-severity citations and 3 intermediate ones. The violations ranged from undercooking to toxic chemicals stored or labeled improperly, to an employee not reporting symptoms of illness, to food described as in poor condition, mislabeled, or adulterated.
What Inspectors Found
Two of the eight high-severity violations involved chemicals. Inspectors cited the restaurant for toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled and separately for toxic substances improperly identified, stored, or used. Those are two distinct citations, meaning the chemical hazard was documented in more than one form on the same day.
The food contact surfaces violation compounds the undercooking citation. Cutting boards, prep tables, and utensils that are not properly cleaned and sanitized carry bacteria from one food item to the next, so a surface that touched undercooked protein can transfer that contamination to food that never touches heat again.
The restaurant was also cited for having no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods. State code requires that menus or table notices warn customers when items may be served undercooked, specifically to protect elderly diners, pregnant women, young children, and people with compromised immune systems. There was no such warning posted.
What These Violations Mean
The undercooking violation is the most direct threat to anyone who ate at Cedar Grill on August 27. Salmonella in poultry requires an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit to be destroyed. If food did not reach that threshold, customers who ordered that day consumed a dish that state code treats as a vehicle for foodborne illness. There is no visible sign that food is undercooked.
The illness reporting failure is the violation most likely to convert a single sick employee into a multi-customer outbreak. Norovirus, one of the most contagious foodborne pathogens, spreads through contaminated surfaces and food prepared by an infected worker. An employee who does not report symptoms, and continues working a food prep line, can expose dozens of customers before anyone connects the illness to the restaurant.
The dual chemical violations introduce a separate category of harm entirely. Cleaning chemicals and sanitizers stored near food, or mislabeled, can contaminate food directly without any biological process. Acute chemical poisoning from this type of exposure can produce symptoms within minutes of consumption.
The improper handwashing technique citation reinforces all of the above. An employee who goes through the motions of washing hands but does not do so correctly leaves pathogens on their hands. Combined with an employee not reporting illness symptoms, that is two separate breakdowns in the most basic line of defense between kitchen staff and customers.
The Longer Record
August 27 was not an anomaly. State records show Cedar Grill has been inspected 31 times and has accumulated 365 total violations across its history. The facility has been emergency-closed three times, all for roach activity, on March 20, 2024, June 23, 2026, and August 27, 2026. The June closure was followed by a same-day reopening on June 24. The August closure was also resolved the same day.
The inspection history in 2026 alone tells a dense story. Inspectors visited on June 23 and found 6 high-severity violations, triggering an emergency closure. The follow-up on June 24 still produced 5 high-severity violations and 3 intermediate ones. A second June 24 inspection that same day produced 5 high-severity violations and 2 intermediate ones. By February, the restaurant had already logged 3 high-severity violations on February 13 and 4 high-severity violations on February 11.
Going further back, the September 2025 inspection produced 8 high-severity violations and 6 intermediate ones, and the March 2025 inspection produced 9 high-severity violations and 3 intermediate ones. The August 2026 inspection, with its 9 high-severity violations on record, matches the single-visit peak from March 2025.
Open for Business
State records show that despite the roach-activity closure documented on August 27, the restaurant was allowed to reopen the same day. The 8 high-severity violations documented during that inspection, including undercooking, chemical mishandling, illness reporting failures, and food in poor condition, did not result in a continued closure.
Cedar Grill has now been emergency-closed and reopened three times in less than three years, each time for roaches, and each time within a day. The violations that accompanied those closures, including the ones from August 27, remained on the record.
The restaurant was open when this article was published.
