TAMPA, FL. Inspectors visiting Donatellos on North Dale Mabry in October found toxic substances improperly identified, stored, or used inside the kitchen, a violation that state records flag as creating an immediate risk of chemical contamination of food.
That was one of six high-severity violations documented on October 7, 2026. The restaurant was not closed.
What Inspectors Found
The shellfish violation is particularly pointed for a restaurant of Donatellos' profile. Inspectors cited inadequate shell stock identification and records, meaning the kitchen could not demonstrate where its oysters, clams, or mussels came from or when they arrived.
Alongside that, the restaurant was cited for failing to post a consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods. Customers who ordered dishes served raw or lightly cooked had no notice of the risk on the menu.
Inspectors also documented that time as a public health control was not being properly applied. When a kitchen uses time rather than temperature to manage food safety, it operates under a strict clock. Food left in the temperature danger zone without proper time tracking can sicken customers even when it looks and smells fine.
The person in charge was either absent or not performing required supervisory duties. Employees were also found using improper hand-washing technique, meaning that even when workers went through the motion of washing their hands, pathogens could have remained on their hands and reached food.
What These Violations Mean
The toxic substances violation sits at the top of the concern list because its consequences are immediate. If a cleaning chemical, sanitizer, or pesticide is stored above or near food, mislabeled, or misapplied, customers can ingest it without any visible sign that something is wrong. There is no cooking step that neutralizes a chemical contaminant.
The shellfish traceability failure carries a different but serious risk. Shellfish harvested from contaminated waters, or held too long in transit, can carry Vibrio, norovirus, or hepatitis A. The tagging and record system exists precisely so that if customers get sick, investigators can trace the source and pull product from the supply chain. Without those records at Donatellos, that trace breaks.
The missing consumer advisory compounds the shellfish concern. Pregnant women, elderly diners, young children, and anyone with a compromised immune system face elevated risk from raw or undercooked shellfish and meat. The advisory is the only mechanism the kitchen has to alert those customers before they order.
The time control failure and improper handwashing create overlapping exposure routes. Food held in the temperature danger zone without accurate time tracking can accumulate dangerous bacterial loads. Employees with pathogens on inadequately washed hands can transfer those pathogens directly to that same food. Both violations occurring on the same inspection visit is not a coincidence inspectors take lightly.
The Longer Record
The October 7 inspection was not an outlier. State records show Donatellos has accumulated 233 total violations across 25 inspections on file. Every inspection in the available prior history produced high-severity violations, without exception.
The most recent visit before October produced four high-severity violations in June 2026. The inspection before that, in October 2025, produced four more. Going back further, the February 2024 inspection turned up five high-severity violations, and February 2023 produced seven, the highest single-visit count in the available record.
The facility has never been emergency-closed. Not once across 25 inspections and 233 violations.
That history makes the October 2026 findings harder to read as an isolated lapse. The same categories recur: management failures, food safety control breakdowns, documentation gaps. The six high-severity violations cited this month represent the highest count in the recent record, exceeding every prior inspection dating back to February 2023.
Open for Business
State inspectors left Donatellos open after the October 7 visit. Six high-severity violations, including improperly handled toxic substances and shellfish with no traceability records, were not enough to trigger an emergency closure order.
Donatellos on North Dale Mabry was serving customers that evening.
