SUMMERFIELD, FL. Back in April 2026, state inspectors walked into Darrell's Diner 6 on SE 109 Terrace Road and documented a violation that stands out even on a long list of serious ones: the facility was not following parasite destruction procedures for fish or other at-risk proteins. Without proper freezing or cooking protocols, parasites including Anisakis and Trichinella can survive and reach a customer's plate.
That was one of nine high-severity violations recorded on April 17. The diner remained open.
What Inspectors Found
The chemical violations were documented twice, under two separate citation categories. Inspectors found toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled and separately cited the facility for toxic substances improperly identified, stored, or used. Both citations carry the same core risk: chemicals stored near food can cause acute poisoning through contamination or mislabeling, and the consequences can be immediate.
The inspection also found that food was not being cooked to required minimum temperatures. Salmonella in poultry survives below 165 degrees Fahrenheit, and undercooking is consistently among the leading causes of foodborne illness outbreaks traced back to restaurants.
Inspectors further cited the diner for inadequate shell stock identification and records. Shellfish, including oysters, clams, and mussels, are high-risk foods that are frequently consumed raw or lightly cooked. Without proper tagging and sourcing records, there is no way to trace contaminated product back to its harvest location if customers become ill.
The facility also had no consumer advisory posted for raw or undercooked foods. That advisory exists specifically to warn elderly diners, pregnant women, young children, and people with compromised immune systems that certain menu items carry elevated risk. Without it, those customers had no way of knowing.
What These Violations Mean
The parasite destruction failure is worth explaining plainly. When a kitchen serves fish, pork, or wild game, state code requires either verified freezing at specific temperatures for a specific duration, or cooking to temperatures that kill parasites. Anisakis, a roundworm found in raw or undercooked fish, can cause severe abdominal pain and require surgical removal. Trichinella, found in undercooked pork and wild game, causes muscle inflammation and can be fatal in serious cases. The violation at Darrell's Diner 6 in April means those protocols were not in place.
The handwashing violation compounds everything else on the list. Improper technique, meaning a handwashing attempt was made but not correctly executed, leaves pathogens on hands that then transfer to food, surfaces, and utensils. Combined with improperly cleaned multi-use utensils and sanitizing solutions that were not at proper concentration, the April inspection described a kitchen where multiple barriers against contamination had failed simultaneously.
The time-as-public-health-control violation is less familiar to most readers but carries real weight. Some kitchens use time, rather than refrigeration, to manage food safety for items left at room temperature. When that system is not properly documented and enforced, food can sit in the bacterial growth zone of 41 to 135 degrees Fahrenheit for hours with no one tracking how long it has been there.
The Longer Record
The April 2026 inspection was not an outlier. State records show Darrell's Diner 6 has been inspected 27 times and has accumulated 238 total violations. The facility has never been emergency-closed.
The pattern of high-severity violations is consistent across recent years. The November 2023 inspection produced 15 high-severity violations and 3 intermediate ones, the worst single inspection in the available record. The April 2025 inspection found 6 high-severity violations and 3 intermediate ones. The November 2025 inspection found 6 high-severity violations and 2 intermediate ones. The April 2026 inspection, with 9 high-severity violations, was worse than either of the two preceding it.
Two inspections in the record, in November 2023 and July 2023, showed zero high-severity and zero intermediate violations. Those clean inspections sit alongside the 15-violation inspection from that same November, suggesting the facility can meet standards when it chooses to, and does not always do so.
The chemical storage violations in April 2026 represent a category that had not appeared prominently in the summarized prior inspection data, making them a newer concern layered on top of recurring problems with food temperatures, cooking protocols, and surface sanitation.
Still Open
State inspectors documented nine high-severity violations at Darrell's Diner 6 on April 17, 2026. The facility served customers the next day.