FORT LAUDERDALE, FL. State inspectors found toxic chemicals improperly stored near food, no procedures in place to destroy parasites in fish, and employees not reporting illness symptoms at Wings & More on West Davie Boulevard during the week of September 17, 2026, giving the restaurant eight high-severity violations in a single visit, the highest total among 15 Fort Lauderdale facilities cited that week.
The violations at Wings & More did not stop at chemical storage. Inspectors also documented inadequate handwashing by food employees, improper handwashing technique, food contact surfaces not properly cleaned or sanitized, inadequate shell stock identification records, and no consumer advisory posted for raw or undercooked foods.
Eight high-severity citations in one visit is a number that demands attention. The restaurant's record includes 39 prior inspections.
What Inspectors Found Across the City
J. Alexander's Restaurant on North Federal Highway drew five high-severity violations, including a finding that the person in charge was not present or not performing duties. Inspectors also cited employees for not reporting illness symptoms, improper handwashing technique, inadequate shell stock identification records, and the improper use of time as a public health control. Four intermediate violations accompanied those findings.
Shooters Water Front Cafe on Northeast 32nd Avenue collected four high-severity violations. Inspectors found employees not reporting illness symptoms, inadequate handwashing facilities, inadequate shell stock identification records, and time as a public health control not properly used.
Pollo Tropical #35 on South Federal Highway also reached four high-severity violations. One of the most serious: food from an unapproved or unknown source, meaning some of what the restaurant was serving had bypassed standard safety inspections entirely. Inspectors also cited the location for no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods, inadequate shell stock records, and employees not reporting illness symptoms.
Sushi Sake on Southwest 1st Avenue drew three high-severity violations, including food from an unapproved source, a finding that carries particular weight at a restaurant serving raw fish. Inspectors also cited improper handwashing technique and food contact surfaces not properly cleaned or sanitized.
Panda Express on East Sunrise Boulevard was cited for food not cooked to the required minimum temperature. At a restaurant serving poultry-based dishes, that citation means Salmonella survival is a documented risk. Inspectors added inadequate handwashing and employees not reporting illness symptoms to the record.
Casa Sensei on East Las Olas Boulevard drew citations for toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled, no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods, and improper handwashing technique, three high-severity violations at one of the street's most prominent dining destinations.
Casa Calabria on Galt Ocean Drive was cited for improper sewage or wastewater disposal alongside food contact surfaces not properly cleaned and inadequate shell stock records. Three high-severity and three intermediate violations in the same visit.
Katherine on East Broward Boulevard had no written employee health policy, a finding that inspectors classify as high-severity because it removes the baseline system meant to keep sick workers out of kitchens. Improper handwashing technique and unsanitized food contact surfaces rounded out three high-severity citations.
Subway 409 on Davie Boulevard was cited for parasite destruction procedures not followed, a violation that matters at any sandwich shop handling fish products. Inspectors added food contact surfaces not properly sanitized and employees not reporting illness symptoms.
The Parrot on Sunrise Lane drew three high-severity violations, including food from an unapproved source and inadequate handwashing facilities. Without functioning handwashing infrastructure, the other handwashing violations documented across the city this week become structurally unavoidable.
McDonald's #10784 on Weston Road had no person in charge present or performing duties, employees not reporting illness symptoms, and inadequate shell stock identification records, three high-severity violations at a franchise location where corporate standards are supposed to substitute for individual management judgment.
The Hilton Fort Lauderdale Marina Banquet Kitchen and Cafe on Southeast 17th Street drew two high-severity violations, including improper sewage or wastewater disposal, a finding that creates fecal contamination risk throughout a facility. Food contact surfaces not properly cleaned and equipment in poor repair completed the inspection record.
Craft Fort Lauderdale on North Federal Highway was cited for food from an unapproved source and no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods. Wilder on East Broward Boulevard drew the same consumer advisory violation alongside improper handwashing technique.
What These Violations Mean
The employee illness reporting failures documented at Wings & More, J. Alexander's, Shooters Water Front Cafe, Pollo Tropical, Subway 409, McDonald's, Panda Express, and the Hilton Banquet Kitchen represent the single most direct pathway from a sick worker to a sick customer. Norovirus, which causes roughly 20 million illnesses in the United States each year, spreads primarily through food handled by infected workers. A restaurant without a functioning illness reporting system has no mechanism to interrupt that chain before service begins.
The parasite destruction violations at Wings & More and Subway 409 carry a different kind of risk. Parasites including Anisakis in fish and Trichinella in pork are destroyed by sustained freezing or thorough cooking. When those procedures are not followed, the parasites survive and can cause serious illness in anyone who eats the food. At Wings & More, that violation sat alongside seven others in the same inspection.
The food from unapproved source violations at Pollo Tropical, Sushi Sake, The Parrot, and Craft Fort Lauderdale mean that some of what those restaurants served this week came through supply chains that bypass federal inspection. If a customer becomes sick, investigators cannot trace the food back through a verified chain of custody. That traceability gap is not a paperwork problem; it is the reason outbreaks go unsolved.
The sewage disposal violations at Casa Calabria and the Hilton Banquet Kitchen are among the most viscerally serious findings of the week. Improper wastewater disposal introduces fecal contamination risk into the physical environment of a working kitchen. Every surface, every utensil, every food item in that space becomes a potential exposure point until the problem is corrected.
The Longer Record
Casa Sensei on Las Olas has 55 prior inspections on record, more than any other facility cited this week, and still drew three high-severity violations including improperly stored toxic chemicals. That inspection history is long enough to represent years of regulatory contact. The chemicals-near-food finding is not a nuanced procedural matter; it is a storage decision that inspectors have had ample opportunity to address.
Wings & More has 39 prior inspections and Shooters Water Front Cafe has 38. Both were cited again this week for multiple high-severity violations. Craft Fort Lauderdale has 36 prior inspections and still drew an unapproved food source citation. Facilities with inspection histories of that length are not encountering state oversight for the first time.
Panda Express on East Sunrise Boulevard has only three prior inspections on record, making it one of the newest facilities in this week's data. It was cited for food not cooked to the required minimum temperature in what is still an early chapter of its regulatory history.
The Hilton Fort Lauderdale Marina Banquet Kitchen, with 26 prior inspections, was cited for improper sewage disposal this week. Whether that violation was present in earlier inspections, the data does not say.
