FORT LAUDERDALE, FL. Mixteca on NW 20th Avenue drew six high-severity violations during the week of August 16, the most of any facility inspected in Fort Lauderdale that week, with inspectors documenting that employees were not reporting illness symptoms, that handwashing facilities were inadequate, and that workers were using improper hand and arm washing technique even when they did wash up.
The facility also had no written employee health policy and was cited for adulterated or mislabeled food, along with improper use of time as a public health control. Six high-severity violations, zero intermediate violations. It was the single worst inspection of the week across 15 flagged facilities.
The Violations
Beehive Kitchen on N Andrews Avenue and Ozzie's Oceanfront Restaurant and Bar on N Fort Lauderdale Beach Boulevard each drew five high-severity violations. At Beehive Kitchen, inspectors found no person in charge present or performing duties, no employee health policy, employees not reporting illness, improper handwashing technique, and no consumer advisory posted for raw or undercooked foods.
Ozzie's Oceanfront added a violation that stands apart from the others this week: food from an unapproved or unknown source. That means some ingredient on the menu could not be traced to a facility that has passed USDA or FDA inspection. The restaurant was also cited for undercooking, improper handwashing, an absent person in charge, and employees not reporting illness.
Carvel and Blimpie on W Commercial Boulevard racked up seven total violations, four of them high-severity. Inspectors cited the dual-concept franchise for improper handwashing technique, food in poor condition, food not cooked to required minimum temperature, and no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods. The intermediate violations included inadequate cooling and cold-holding equipment, a problem that compounds the cooking temperature citation directly.
Kousine Peruvian Kitchen on N Fort Lauderdale Beach Boulevard, less than a mile from Ozzie's, was cited for employees not reporting illness, improper handwashing technique, food contact surfaces not properly cleaned or sanitized, and no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods. The facility also had improper sanitizer concentration and improperly used wiping cloths, both of which undercut any cleaning effort already being made.
Living Green Cafe on SE 17th Street drew a shellfish traceability violation alongside citations for employees not reporting illness, food contact surfaces not properly cleaned, and improper use of time as a public health control. A cafe marketing itself on freshness was cited for not maintaining the records that would allow health officials to trace a shellfish illness back to its source.
Thai Garlic and Sushi on Weston Road had four high-severity violations and no intermediate violations. Inspectors found no person in charge, employees not reporting illness, inadequate handwashing facilities, and improper handwashing technique. The combination of missing infrastructure and absent management is the kind of finding inspectors describe as a cascading failure.
The Rest of the Week
Moonlite Diner on N Andrews Avenue drew three high-severity violations: food in poor condition, food contact surfaces not properly cleaned, and toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled near food. The chemical storage citation is one of the more acute risks on this week's list, as improperly labeled chemicals can be mistaken for food-safe products by any employee in the kitchen.
Smoke BBQ on NE 32nd Street was cited for food in poor condition, improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, and food not cooked to required minimum temperature. At a barbecue restaurant where poultry and pork are the product, an undercooked food citation carries particular weight.
Irie Jerk on NW 5th Way drew three high-severity violations including toxic chemicals improperly stored, no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods, and improper handwashing technique. The facility also had inadequate toilet facilities, improper sanitizer concentrations, and improperly cleaned multi-use utensils.
Doughboys Pizzeria and Italian Restaurant on SE 17th Street had no employee health policy, employees not reporting illness, and a shellfish traceability violation. Doughboys is an Italian pizzeria, not a raw bar, which makes the shellfish identification failure a specific and pointed question about what is being served and where it came from.
Wok'n'Lime on W Commercial Boulevard was cited for employees not reporting illness, inadequate shellfish records, and food not cooked to required minimum temperature. McDonald's at SR 84 drew the same three high-severity violations: employee illness reporting, shellfish identification, and undercooking. A McDonald's location flagged for shellfish traceability is an unusual citation for a chain that does not prominently feature shellfish on its national menu.
Piman on NE 4th Avenue drew two high-severity violations, food contact surfaces not properly cleaned and toxic chemicals improperly stored, plus an intermediate sewage disposal citation. Family Kitchen Restaurant and Catering on W Commercial Boulevard drew a single intermediate violation for improper sewage or wastewater disposal, the lightest inspection result among the 15 facilities flagged this week.
What These Violations Mean
The illness-reporting violations at Mixteca, Beehive Kitchen, Ozzie's Oceanfront, Kousine Peruvian Kitchen, Living Green Cafe, Thai Garlic and Sushi, Doughboys, Wok'n'Lime, and McDonald's represent the most direct route from a sick kitchen worker to a sick customer. Norovirus, which causes roughly 20 million illnesses in the United States annually, spreads through food handled by infected workers. A written health policy and a functioning reporting culture are the only barriers between an employee who feels unwell and the plate in front of a customer.
The handwashing failures at Mixteca, Beehive Kitchen, Ozzie's Oceanfront, Carvel and Blimpie, Kousine Peruvian Kitchen, Thai Garlic and Sushi, and Irie Jerk compound that risk. Inspectors cited both inadequate facilities and improper technique, meaning some kitchens lacked the physical infrastructure to wash hands correctly and others had the infrastructure but workers were not using it effectively.
The food from unapproved sources citation at Ozzie's Oceanfront is a traceability problem. When an ingredient bypasses USDA or FDA inspection channels, there is no paper trail if a customer gets sick. Health officials investigating an outbreak need supplier records to identify a contaminated batch and stop others from being served. Without those records, the investigation stalls.
The undercooked food citations at Smoke BBQ, Carvel and Blimpie, Ozzie's Oceanfront, Wok'n'Lime, and McDonald's each represent a point in the cooking process where bacterial pathogens including Salmonella in poultry survive. Carvel and Blimpie's simultaneous citation for inadequate cooling and cold-holding equipment means food may be entering the cooking process already compromised by temperature failure, and leaving it without reaching the temperature needed to kill what has grown.
The Longer Record
Piman on NE 4th Avenue has 51 prior inspections on record, the longest history of any facility flagged this week. Two high-severity violations and a sewage citation on the 51st inspection is a different kind of story than the same violations on a third. Moonlite Diner, with 41 prior inspections, drew three high-severity violations including chemical storage near food. Forty-one visits is a long institutional relationship between a facility and state inspectors.
Mixteca, the week's worst performer with six high-severity violations, has 22 prior inspections on record. The illness-reporting and handwashing failures documented this week are not obscure technical violations. They are foundational. Twenty-two inspections in and those foundations remain unaddressed.
Ozzie's Oceanfront has only 10 prior inspections, the second-lowest count among the flagged facilities this week. Five high-severity violations that early in an inspection history, including food from an unapproved source and undercooking, suggests a facility still building the basic compliance infrastructure that older locations have had years to establish.
McDonald's at SR 84 has 15 prior inspections on record. For a franchise location with a corporate compliance system behind it, three high-severity violations including an undercooked food citation and a shellfish traceability failure are the kind of findings that sit uneasily against the brand's national food safety marketing. The shellfish traceability violation at that location remained unresolved in the inspection record as of the close of the reporting week.
