MIAMI, FL. State inspectors visiting Crema Gourmet Espresso Bar at 8915 SW 72 Place on August 17 found that the facility was serving food sourced from unapproved or unknown suppliers, a violation that means inspectors had no way to trace what was coming into the kitchen or where it had been before it reached customers.
That was one of eight high-severity violations cited that day. The facility was not closed.
What Inspectors Found
The inspector's report also documented that no person in charge was present or performing supervisory duties during the visit. That single finding sets the context for everything else on the list.
Employees were not reporting symptoms of illness to management. Inspectors also cited improper hand and arm washing technique, meaning staff were making handwashing attempts that still left pathogens on their hands.
Food contact surfaces were not properly cleaned or sanitized. Multi-use utensils were also cited as improperly cleaned, an intermediate violation that compounds the surface sanitation failure. Wiping cloths were being used improperly, a common vehicle for spreading contamination from one surface to another.
The facility had no consumer advisory posted for raw or undercooked foods, and staff demonstrated no allergen awareness. Toxic substances were improperly identified, stored, or used. Ventilation and lighting were cited as inadequate.
Eleven violations total. The bar remained open after the inspection.
What These Violations Mean
Food from unapproved sources is not a paperwork problem. When a facility cannot document where its food came from, there is no supply chain record to follow if a customer gets sick. The FDA and USDA inspection systems that approved suppliers must pass are specifically designed to screen for Listeria, Salmonella, and E. coli before product reaches consumers. Food that bypasses that chain carries unknown risk, and no one can trace it after the fact.
The illness-reporting failure is more immediate. Food workers are the primary transmission route for norovirus, which spreads person to person and can move through a customer base quickly when a sick employee continues handling food. The violation at Crema on August 17 indicates that system was not functioning.
The allergen finding is its own category of danger. Food allergies affect an estimated 32 million Americans, and allergic reactions send roughly 30,000 people to emergency rooms each year. A staff with no demonstrated allergen awareness cannot reliably answer a customer's question about ingredients, and cannot be expected to prevent cross-contact during preparation.
Toxic substances stored or used improperly in a food service setting means chemicals, cleaning agents, or pesticides were not separated from food or food contact areas in the way state code requires. That is not a theoretical risk. It is the kind of violation that produces immediate harm.
The Longer Record
Crema Gourmet Espresso Bar: Inspection History
The August 17 inspection was not an anomaly. State records show Crema Gourmet has been inspected ten times and has accumulated 88 total violations across that history. The facility has never been emergency-closed.
The pattern is consistent. Six high-severity violations appeared in August 2023. Six more came in October 2024. December 2025 produced eight high-severity violations and three intermediate ones, a count identical to the August 17 findings. The facility has cycled through serious inspection results repeatedly without triggering a closure order.
The follow-up inspection conducted on August 18, the day after the August 17 visit, found five high-severity violations and one intermediate violation still on record. Five high-severity problems remained the day after an inspector had documented eight.
Crema Gourmet Espresso Bar at 8915 SW 72 Place was open for business throughout.
