FORT LAUDERDALE, FL. Phat Boy Sushi on North Federal Highway drew seven high-severity violations in a single inspection this week, the highest count among 15 Fort Lauderdale restaurants that state inspectors flagged between September 29 and October 5, 2026.
The citations at Phat Boy Sushi covered nearly every layer of food safety at once. Inspectors found food in poor condition, food contact surfaces that were not properly cleaned or sanitized, and no consumer advisory posted for raw or undercooked items, which matters at a sushi restaurant where raw fish is the core product.
The problems ran deeper than the food itself. Inspectors also cited the restaurant for inadequate handwashing facilities, improper handwashing technique, an employee not reporting symptoms of illness, and no person in charge present or performing duties during the inspection.
What Inspectors Found Across the City
Lucky Cat Street Eatery on North Andrews Avenue was the second-most-cited facility, with six high-severity violations and two intermediate citations. Inspectors found inadequate shell stock identification records, meaning the restaurant could not document where its shellfish came from, alongside inadequate handwashing facilities, improper handwashing technique, an employee not reporting illness symptoms, and a person in charge failing to perform duties.
Bonefish Grill at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport's Terminal 3 drew five high-severity violations, including food not cooked to the required minimum temperature. Inspectors also cited the airport location for inadequate shell stock records, no employee health policy, an employee not reporting illness symptoms, and no person in charge on duty.
Taco Bell #134 on West Broward Boulevard produced an unusual combination: a shellfish traceability violation at a chain not known for seafood, a consumer advisory missing for raw or undercooked foods, food contact surfaces not properly cleaned, and toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled near the food operation. The location also drew five intermediate violations, including improper sewage or wastewater disposal and inadequate cooling equipment.
Cucina Moderna on North Federal Highway was cited for sourcing food from an unapproved or unknown supplier, a violation that cuts off the traceability chain entirely. Inspectors also found food contact surfaces not properly sanitized, no consumer advisory for raw items, improper handwashing technique, improper sewage disposal, multi-use utensils not properly cleaned, and single-use items being reused.
Woodone Ramen on North Federal Highway drew four high-severity citations, including toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled and food contact surfaces not properly cleaned. The location also had improper sewage disposal and inadequate toilet facilities among its intermediate violations.
The Marriott Fort Lauderdale North's The Preserve restaurant on North Andrews Avenue was cited for food from an unapproved source, food not cooked to the required minimum temperature, food contact surfaces not properly cleaned, and improper handwashing technique. Inspectors also found multi-use utensils not properly cleaned and single-use items being reused.
Pomperdale Deli on East Commercial Boulevard had four high-severity violations, including no employee health policy, an employee not reporting illness symptoms, improper handwashing technique, and food contact surfaces not properly cleaned or sanitized.
MyaPapaya on North Federal Highway was cited for food from an unapproved or unknown source, an employee not reporting illness symptoms, improper handwashing technique, and inadequate shell stock identification records.
Pita Plus on Stirling Road drew a citation for required procedures for specialized processes not being followed, alongside inadequate shell stock records and an employee not reporting illness symptoms. Specialized process violations are among the least common and most serious citations inspectors issue.
Three airport concession facilities were among the week's violators. Einstein Brothers Bagel at 200 Terminal Drive was cited for no person in charge, an employee not reporting illness symptoms, and no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods. BoKampers at Terminal Drive drew two high-severity citations, including no person in charge and food contact surfaces not properly cleaned. Pei Wei at 200 Terminal Drive was cited for an employee not reporting illness symptoms and food contact surfaces not properly cleaned.
Einstein Bros Bagel #1597 on North Federal Highway drew two high-severity violations, including an employee not reporting illness symptoms and inadequate shell stock identification records.
Arby's #1453 on East Sunrise Boulevard was cited for inadequate handwashing by food employees and for not properly using time as a public health control, a violation that occurs when a facility allows food to sit in the temperature danger zone without tracking or limiting the exposure window.
What These Violations Mean
The most common high-severity violation across this week's inspections was employees not reporting illness symptoms, which appeared at ten of the fifteen facilities. This is not a paperwork issue. A food worker sick with norovirus who handles ready-to-eat food can infect dozens of customers in a single shift, and norovirus is the leading cause of foodborne illness outbreaks in the United States. The citation appeared at Phat Boy Sushi, Lucky Cat Street Eatery, Bonefish Grill, Woodone Ramen, Pomperdale Deli, MyaPapaya, Pita Plus, Einstein Brothers Bagel at Terminal Drive, Einstein Bros Bagel #1597, and Pei Wei.
The person-in-charge violations at Phat Boy Sushi, Lucky Cat Street Eatery, Bonefish Grill, Einstein Brothers Bagel, and BoKampers are significant beyond the individual citation. CDC data links active managerial control failures to three times as many critical violations overall. When no one is overseeing the operation, the downstream problems multiply.
Food from unapproved or unknown sources, cited at Cucina Moderna, MyaPapaya, and the Marriott's The Preserve restaurant, breaks the traceability chain. If a customer gets sick and investigators need to identify the source, they cannot trace food that has no documented supplier. This is the same reason shellfish traceability violations, found this week at Lucky Cat Street Eatery, Bonefish Grill, Taco Bell #134, MyaPapaya, Pita Plus, and both Einstein Bros locations, matter so acutely. Oysters, clams, and mussels are often consumed raw, and without harvest records, a contaminated batch cannot be recalled.
Toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled, cited at both Taco Bell #134 and Woodone Ramen, represent a different category of risk entirely. Chemical contamination of food can cause acute poisoning, not the slow-onset illness of a bacterial infection. Mislabeled containers and proximity to food prep surfaces are the documented pathway.
The Longer Record
Several of this week's violators carry long inspection histories that add weight to the current findings. Pomperdale Deli has 29 prior inspections on record, as does Pita Plus. Both drew high-severity violations this week in categories, including employee illness reporting and food contact surface sanitation, that are not new problems for facilities with inspection histories that long.
Lucky Cat Street Eatery has 28 prior inspections, and Taco Bell #134 has 27. The Marriott's The Preserve restaurant has 26, and Einstein Bros Bagel #1597 on Federal Highway has 27. These are not facilities on their first or second look from state inspectors.
At the other end of the spectrum, Woodone Ramen has only 2 prior inspections on record, and Cucina Moderna has only 3. Both drew four high-severity violations in this inspection cycle. Cucina Moderna's citation for food from an unapproved source is a serious finding for a restaurant barely past its opening inspections.
Bonefish Grill at the airport has 10 prior inspections on record, making this week's five high-severity findings, including undercooked food and no employee health policy, among the most consequential in the location's short documented history. The airport's Terminal 3 concentration of violations, with Bonefish Grill, Einstein Brothers Bagel, BoKampers, and Pei Wei all cited in the same week, is a fact the records don't explain.
