JACKSONVILLE, FL. Inspectors visiting D & G Deli & Grill at 233 E Bay St on May 4 found toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled near food, a violation that state records flag as a direct chemical poisoning risk, one of six high-severity citations the restaurant collected that day before inspectors left it open for business.
The facility also had no consumer advisory posted for raw or undercooked menu items. That single missing notice means customers with compromised immune systems, pregnant women, the elderly, and young children had no way of knowing they were ordering food that carries elevated risk of foodborne illness.
What Inspectors Found
The inspection turned up nine violations in total, including three at the intermediate level. Among those was improper sewage or wastewater disposal, which state records describe as creating a risk of fecal contamination throughout the facility.
Inspectors also cited the deli for improper handwashing technique, food contact surfaces that were not properly cleaned or sanitized, and failure to properly use time as a public health control. That last violation means food was sitting in the temperature danger zone, the range between 41 and 135 degrees Fahrenheit where bacteria multiply fastest, without proper tracking.
The shellfish traceability violation adds another layer of concern. Without adequate shell stock identification records, there is no way to trace where oysters, clams, or mussels came from if a customer gets sick.
What These Violations Mean
The chemical storage violation is the kind that can cause harm without any warning. When cleaning agents or pesticides are stored near or above food preparation surfaces, contamination can happen through a spill, a mislabeled container, or contact with food packaging. A customer would have no way of knowing.
The handwashing technique citation is easy to dismiss as minor, but it is not. An employee who goes through the motions of washing hands but uses improper technique transfers the same pathogens as someone who skips the sink entirely. At a deli where staff handle ready-to-eat food directly, that failure is a direct transmission route.
The combination of improperly cleaned food contact surfaces and multi-use utensils that were not properly cleaned creates what researchers call a biofilm problem. Bacteria that survive inadequate cleaning embed into surface scratches and utensil grooves, forming protective layers that routine wiping cannot remove. Every subsequent use of that surface or utensil spreads the colony.
The missing consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods matters most for the customers least able to protect themselves. Immunocompromised diners, pregnant women, and older adults who would avoid a raw preparation if warned have no way to make that choice when the advisory is absent.
The Longer Record
The May 4 inspection is not an outlier. D & G Deli & Grill has accumulated 240 total violations across 28 inspections on record, a rate that places this week's findings squarely within an established pattern rather than an isolated bad day.
The prior eight inspections tell the fuller story. In April 2024, inspectors cited the facility for 15 high-severity violations and 3 intermediate ones. That December brought 12 high-severity and 5 intermediate violations. November 2025 produced 8 high-severity citations. The May 2025 inspection generated 13 high-severity and 5 intermediate violations, the worst single visit in the recent record.
Two inspections in that stretch produced low numbers: one high violation in July 2024 and one high violation in January 2026. Both followed inspections with double-digit high-severity counts, suggesting the facility can reach compliance when pressure is applied, but the pattern does not hold.
The facility has never been emergency-closed in 28 inspections on record, despite repeated high-severity violation tallies that have included many of the same categories appearing again this May.
Still Open
State inspectors documented six high-severity violations at D & G Deli & Grill on May 4, 2026. Those included toxic chemicals stored near food, no shellfish traceability records, improperly sanitized food contact surfaces, and a missing consumer advisory for raw items.
The restaurant was not closed.
It has now logged at least five inspections in the past two years with ten or more high-severity violations each, and a cumulative record of 240 violations across its inspection history.
It remained open after this one too.