MIAMI, FL. A food worker at China Steak House Restaurant 3 on SW 24th Street was found not reporting symptoms of illness during an August 19 inspection, a violation state records classify as an outbreak enabler and the leading cause of multi-victim Norovirus events in food service settings.
That was one of eight high-severity violations inspectors documented that day. The restaurant at 8565 SW 24 St #103 was not closed.
What Inspectors Found
The employee illness violation and the missing health policy are connected. Without a written policy, workers have no formal instruction about when to stay home, and the inspection record shows that gap in practice, not just on paper.
Inspectors also cited improper handwashing technique. State health data notes that an improperly executed handwash leaves pathogens on hands even when a worker makes an attempt, meaning the act of washing provides no actual protection.
Food contact surfaces were found not properly cleaned or sanitized, a violation that creates a direct bacterial transfer route between surfaces and every dish prepared on them. Toxic chemicals were found improperly stored or labeled near the food operation, a condition that can cause acute poisoning through cross-contamination or mislabeling.
The shellfish traceability violation drew its own flag. Without adequate shell stock identification records, there is no way to trace oysters, clams, or mussels back to their harvest source if a customer gets sick. No consumer advisory was posted for raw or undercooked foods, leaving elderly diners, pregnant women, and immunocompromised customers without the warning the state requires.
No allergen awareness was demonstrated. Food allergies affect an estimated 32 million Americans, and allergic reactions send roughly 30,000 people to emergency rooms each year.
Six intermediate violations accompanied the eight high-severity ones. They included improper sewage or wastewater disposal, improper sanitizing solution or procedures, single-use items being reused, inadequate ventilation and lighting, improper use of wiping cloths, and inadequate or improperly maintained toilet facilities.
What These Violations Mean
The employee illness and health policy violations together describe a facility where a sick worker has no structured reason to stay out of the kitchen and no documented obligation to report symptoms to a supervisor. Norovirus, the most common cause of foodborne illness outbreaks in restaurants, spreads through exactly this pathway: an infected worker handles food, and customers who eat it become sick within 12 to 48 hours. A single ill employee can expose dozens of diners in a single shift.
The allergen awareness failure compounds the risk for a specific subset of customers. When staff cannot identify which dishes contain common allergens, a customer with a tree nut or shellfish allergy has no reliable way to order safely. The shellfish traceability violation adds another layer: if a customer reports illness after eating oysters or clams at this location, investigators would have no harvest records to work backward from.
Improper sewage disposal at a food service facility means the risk of fecal contamination is not contained to restrooms. Raw sewage carries pathogens including E. coli, Hepatitis A, and Norovirus. That violation, listed as intermediate, is in practice one of the most serious sanitation failures a kitchen can have.
The Longer Record
China Steak House Restaurant 3: Inspection History
The August 19 inspection was not an aberration. State records show 29 inspections on file for this location, with 442 total violations documented across that history.
The facility has logged six or more high-severity violations in at least six of its most recent inspections. The August 2025 visit produced eight high-severity violations, the same count as August 2026. The January 2026 inspection produced seven. The pattern does not show a facility that corrects serious problems between visits and then slips again. It shows a facility that returns to the same severity level repeatedly.
The one prior emergency closure on record came in June 2017, when inspectors found roach activity and ordered the restaurant shut. It reopened the next day. No closure has followed since, despite the volume of high-severity violations that have accumulated in the years after.
The day after the August 19 inspection, a follow-up visit on August 20 found one high-severity and three intermediate violations remaining. That count was lower. The restaurant had been open throughout.
