DUNNELLON, FL. A state inspector visited Don Pepe Mexican Restaurant on West Pennsylvania Avenue on September 28, 2026, and documented that food was not being cooked to required minimum temperatures, a violation that means Salmonella and other pathogens can survive in poultry and reach a customer's plate.
That was one of nine high-severity violations cited in a single inspection. The restaurant was not closed.
What Inspectors Found
Beyond the undercooking citation, the inspector also documented two separate chemical violations: toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled, and toxic substances improperly identified, stored, or used. Both citations appearing in the same inspection means the hazard was not isolated to a single container or shelf.
The inspector cited employees for not reporting symptoms of illness and for using improper handwashing technique. Those two violations together describe a kitchen where the most basic line of defense against spreading disease to customers was not functioning.
Three more high-severity citations rounded out the visit. The restaurant had no consumer advisory posted for raw or undercooked foods, leaving customers with compromised immune systems, elderly diners, and pregnant women with no notice that certain menu items carried elevated risk. Staff demonstrated no allergen awareness. And the inspector found inadequate shell stock identification records, meaning shellfish served at the restaurant could not be traced to a certified source if a customer became ill.
Three intermediate violations were also cited: improper use of wiping cloths, inadequate ventilation and lighting, and inadequate or improperly maintained toilet facilities.
What These Violations Mean
The undercooking violation is not procedural. Salmonella in poultry survives below 165 degrees Fahrenheit. A customer who ate improperly cooked chicken at Don Pepe on or around September 28 could have consumed a live pathogen load sufficient to cause serious illness.
The two chemical storage violations compound each other. Improperly labeled or stored chemicals near food create a direct route to acute poisoning, not through bacterial growth over time but through immediate contamination of a dish or surface. When a facility draws two separate chemical citations in the same inspection, it indicates the problem is not one mislabeled bottle.
The illness-reporting and handwashing violations are the conditions that turn an individual sick employee into a multi-victim outbreak. Norovirus, the most common cause of foodborne illness outbreaks in restaurant settings, spreads through exactly this mechanism: a symptomatic worker who does not report illness and does not wash hands effectively. The inspector found both failures present at the same time.
The allergen citation carries a different kind of urgency. Food allergies affect 32 million Americans and cause roughly 30,000 emergency room visits annually. A kitchen where staff cannot demonstrate allergen awareness is a kitchen where a customer with a severe allergy cannot rely on the answers they receive to questions about ingredients.
The Longer Record
The September 28 inspection was not an aberration. State records show Don Pepe has been inspected 25 times, accumulating 141 total violations across that history.
The most recent inspections form a clear pattern. The February 2026 visit produced five high-severity and three intermediate violations. The September 2025 inspection yielded four high-severity and two intermediate. February 2025 brought three high-severity and two intermediate. October 2024 added three high-severity and four intermediate. The facility has not had a clean inspection, meaning zero high-severity violations, since November 2023.
The restaurant was emergency-closed once before, in November 2016, after an inspector found roach activity. It reopened the following day. That closure stands as the only time the state has forced the restaurant to stop serving customers despite a record that now includes 9 high-severity violations in a single visit.
Open for Business
State inspectors cited nine high-severity violations at Don Pepe Mexican Restaurant on September 28, 2026. The violations included undercooking, two separate chemical hazards, no allergen awareness, and an illness-reporting failure that public health officials consider the primary driver of multi-victim outbreaks.
The restaurant was not closed.
