MIAMI, FL. A state inspector who walked into China Buffet at 1032 SW 67th Ave on September 23 found food not cooked to required minimum temperatures, an employee who had not reported symptoms of illness, and toxic chemicals improperly stored near food. Nine of the fifteen violations documented that day were classified as high severity. The restaurant was not closed.
What Inspectors Found
The undercooking violation stands as the most direct physical danger documented that day. Salmonella survives in poultry held below 165 degrees Fahrenheit, and a single serving of undercooked meat can sicken multiple people at a buffet where food is shared across hours of service.
The sick-employee violation compounds that risk. An employee who fails to report illness symptoms can transmit Norovirus through every dish handled, every surface touched, every utensil passed. At a buffet, that exposure multiplies with every customer who visits the serving line.
Toxic chemicals stored improperly near food represent a different category of danger entirely. A mislabeled or misplaced chemical container does not require a pattern of behavior to cause harm. One mistake is enough.
The inspector also documented improper handwashing technique, food contact surfaces that were not properly cleaned or sanitized, and the misuse of time as a public health control. When time is substituted for temperature to keep food safe, strict tracking is required. The inspector found it was not being followed.
Shellfish identification records were inadequate. Without those records, there is no way to trace an oyster, clam, or mussel back to its harvest source if a customer falls ill. There was also no consumer advisory posted for raw or undercooked items, meaning customers, including elderly diners, pregnant women, and people with weakened immune systems, had no written warning.
Six intermediate violations accompanied the nine high-severity findings. They included improper sewage or wastewater disposal, multi-use utensils not properly cleaned, single-use items being reused, inadequate ventilation and lighting, improper waste disposal, and inadequate toilet facilities.
What These Violations Mean
The combination of undercooking and an unreported sick employee is among the most dangerous pairings an inspector can document in a single visit. Salmonella in undercooked poultry can cause severe gastrointestinal illness within hours. Norovirus, the leading cause of multi-victim outbreaks in restaurant settings, spreads through direct contact with an infected food worker. Both can move through a buffet's shared serving environment faster than in table-service settings.
Improperly cleaned food contact surfaces accelerate that risk. Cutting boards, prep counters, and utensils that carry bacterial residue from one food preparation cycle to the next become transfer points for every item that crosses them. The intermediate violation for multi-use utensils not properly cleaned adds a second layer to the same problem.
The sewage disposal violation is not a paperwork issue. Improper wastewater disposal can introduce fecal contamination into a kitchen environment. Combined with inadequate toilet facilities and a documented failure in handwashing technique, the facility's hygiene infrastructure on September 23 was compromised at nearly every point where it is supposed to protect customers.
The absence of a consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods is a specific harm to specific people. A diner managing chemotherapy, a pregnant woman, a customer over 65 cannot make an informed choice about what to eat without that notice. The restaurant did not provide one.
The Longer Record
The September 23 inspection was not an anomaly. State records show China Buffet has been inspected 33 times and has accumulated 444 violations across that history.
The eight most recent inspections on record tell a consistent story. In April 2026, a single inspection documented seven high-severity and four intermediate violations. In September 2025, the count was eight high and two intermediate. In February 2025, eight high and four intermediate. The October 2024 visit produced the highest recent single-day total: ten high-severity and seven intermediate violations.
The facility was emergency-closed once before, on February 27, 2020, for roach activity. It was allowed to reopen the following day.
The October 2, 2026 follow-up inspection, conducted nine days after the September 23 visit, found two high-severity and four intermediate violations. That improvement in raw numbers does not erase the pattern. In every calendar year represented in the inspection record, the facility has been cited for multiple high-severity violations.
Still Open
State inspectors documented nine high-severity violations at China Buffet on September 23, 2026, including food not cooked to safe temperatures, a worker who had not reported illness, and chemicals stored near food. The facility was not emergency-closed.
It remained open for service.
