MIAMI, FL. A state inspector walked into Craft South Miami on Sunset Drive on October 6 and found food that had not been cooked to the minimum required temperature, toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled near food, and no person in charge present or performing duties. Eight of the thirteen violations recorded that day were classified as high severity. The restaurant was not closed.
What Inspectors Found
The inspector cited two separate chemical violations: toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled, and toxic substances improperly identified, stored, or used. Both categories appeared on the same visit, pointing to a broader breakdown in how the facility handled hazardous materials, not an isolated labeling error.
Food contact surfaces were not properly cleaned or sanitized. Alongside the undercooked food citation, that combination creates a compounding risk: food that was not fully cooked to kill pathogens, plated on surfaces that were not properly sanitized between uses.
The facility also had no consumer advisory posted for raw or undercooked menu items. Customers who ordered dishes that carry inherent pathogen risk, including pregnant women, elderly diners, and anyone immunocompromised, had no way of knowing they were making that choice.
The intermediate violations added to the picture. Improper sewage or wastewater disposal was cited, along with multi-use utensils not properly cleaned, single-use items being reused, inadequate ventilation and lighting, and inadequate or improperly maintained toilet facilities. Five intermediate violations alongside eight high-severity ones in a single visit.
What These Violations Mean
Undercooking is one of the most direct pathways to foodborne illness. Salmonella in poultry survives below 165 degrees Fahrenheit. Ground beef that does not reach 155 degrees can carry E. coli. When a restaurant fails to cook food to required minimum temperatures, it is not a procedural technicality. It is the difference between a pathogen being killed and a pathogen reaching a customer's plate.
The chemical violations carry a different category of risk. Toxic substances stored near food, or improperly labeled, create the possibility of acute poisoning through accidental contamination or misuse. Two separate chemical citations in one inspection at Craft South Miami suggest the problem was not limited to one shelf or one container.
Improperly cleaned food contact surfaces are where bacterial transfer happens between dishes, between shifts, and between customers. The CDC identifies contaminated surfaces as a primary vehicle for spreading pathogens through a kitchen. At Craft South Miami, that risk existed alongside food that was not fully cooked and chemicals that were not properly controlled.
The absence of a person in charge is the condition that allows the others to accumulate. CDC data shows establishments without active managerial control record three times more critical violations than those with engaged management on the floor. At Craft South Miami on October 6, no one in a supervisory role was present or performing those duties.
The Longer Record
The October 6 inspection was not an outlier. State records show 27 inspections on file for Craft South Miami, with 257 total violations documented across that history.
The pattern in recent years is consistent and specific. On August 12, 2025, inspectors recorded 12 high-severity violations and 4 intermediate ones. The following day, August 13, 2025, they returned and found 7 high-severity violations and 4 intermediate ones. On March 2, 2026, the count was 8 high-severity and 3 intermediate violations, matching the October 6 totals almost exactly.
After the October 6 inspection, state inspectors returned on October 9, 2026. They visited twice that day. The first visit found 4 high-severity and 5 intermediate violations. The second found 4 high-severity and 4 intermediate violations. High-severity violations were present at every recorded inspection going back through the data.
Craft South Miami has never been emergency-closed in its inspection history on record.
Open for Business
The state's inspection on October 6 documented eight high-severity violations, including food cooked to unsafe temperatures, toxic chemicals stored or labeled incorrectly, no manager on duty, and food contact surfaces that were not properly sanitized. Inspectors recorded all of it, assigned severity classifications to each finding, and left the restaurant open to continue serving customers.
It was the fourteenth high-severity violation recorded at the facility in 2026 alone, not counting the October 9 follow-up visits.
The restaurant remained open.
