ORLANDO, FL. Inspectors visiting Crazy Buffet at 7038 W. Colonial Drive on May 19 found that food on the buffet line was coming from unapproved or unknown sources, meaning it had bypassed USDA and FDA safety inspections entirely, with no way to trace it if a customer got sick.
That was one of eight high-severity violations documented that afternoon. The restaurant was not closed.
What Inspectors Found
The eight high-severity violations spanned nearly every layer of food safety. Inspectors cited inadequate handwashing facilities, meaning the physical infrastructure for proper hygiene was not in place, and separately cited employees for using improper hand and arm washing technique, meaning that even when handwashing was attempted, it was not done correctly.
Food contact surfaces were not properly cleaned or sanitized. Toxic chemicals were improperly stored or labeled near food.
The restaurant was also cited for failing to use time as a public health control correctly. At a buffet, where food sits in the temperature danger zone between 41 and 135 degrees, time limits are one of the primary tools operators use instead of constant temperature monitoring. When those time controls are not followed, bacteria multiply unchecked in food that customers are serving themselves.
There was no consumer advisory posted for raw or undercooked items. At a buffet serving a broad public, that absence leaves elderly diners, pregnant women, and immunocompromised customers without information they need to make safe choices.
Two intermediate violations rounded out the report: single-use items being reused, and inadequate ventilation and lighting.
What These Violations Mean
The unapproved food source violation is the one that produces the longest consequences. When food enters a restaurant through channels that bypass federal inspection, there is no paper trail. If a customer develops a Listeria or Salmonella infection after eating there, investigators have no way to trace the food back to its origin, identify other affected customers, or issue a recall. The supply chain is simply a blank.
The absence of an employee health policy compounds the risk. Without a written policy requiring sick workers to stay home or be removed from food handling, a single employee with Norovirus can contaminate food that reaches hundreds of customers at a buffet in a single shift. Norovirus causes an estimated 20 million illnesses in the United States each year, and buffet-style service is among the most efficient delivery mechanisms for it.
The handwashing failures documented at Crazy Buffet on May 19 represent two separate breakdowns, not one. Inadequate facilities mean employees physically cannot wash their hands properly. Improper technique means that even with facilities present, the washing that does occur is not removing pathogens. Both violations appeared on the same inspection report.
Improperly stored or labeled chemicals near food create a direct poisoning pathway. Mislabeled containers and chemicals stored adjacent to food preparation areas are a documented cause of acute illness outbreaks, and they are categorized as high-severity violations precisely because the harm can be immediate.
The Longer Record
The May 19 inspection was not an anomaly. State records show Crazy Buffet has been inspected 41 times and has accumulated 847 total violations across its history on record.
The pattern in the most recent inspections is consistent. The visit on February 26 of this year produced nine high-severity and four intermediate violations. The November 2025 inspection produced ten high and six intermediate. The September 2025 inspection produced eight high and six intermediate violations, followed one week later by another inspection with five high and three intermediate.
The restaurant has been emergency-closed twice. In April 2025, inspectors shut it down for roach and fly activity, and it reopened the following day. In July 2025, it was closed again for roach activity. Three consecutive inspections in July 2025, on the 9th, 10th, and 11th, produced ten high and seven intermediate, ten high and seven intermediate, and eight high and six intermediate violations respectively. The July 9 closure came on the first of those three days.
The violations cited in May 2026, including unapproved food sources, no employee health policy, and improper handwashing, are not new categories for this location. They are the same categories that have appeared across inspection after inspection at this address.
Open for Business
State inspectors documented eight high-severity violations at Crazy Buffet on May 19, 2026.
The restaurant was not emergency-closed.
It remained open to the public.