FORT MYERS, FL. XiXi Hibachi and Sushi on Gladiolus Drive accumulated 10 high-severity violations in a single inspection the week of August 10, the highest total of any Fort Myers restaurant during a stretch that saw 15 facilities cited for serious food safety failures across Lee County.
The XiXi violations included a failure to follow parasite destruction procedures for raw fish, no consumer advisory warning customers about undercooked items, inadequate shell stock identification records, and food not cooked to required minimum temperatures. Inspectors also found no employee health policy, employees not reporting illness symptoms, and improper handwashing technique, all three of which are the conditions most directly linked to multi-victim outbreaks.
XiXi has only three prior inspections on record, making this week's tally its most significant inspection yet.
The Week's Worst Findings
Tung Hing Chinese Restaurant on Fowler Street drew eight high-severity violations, including food in poor condition, food contact surfaces not properly cleaned or sanitized, food not cooked to required minimum temperature, and toxic substances improperly stored or used. Inspectors also flagged no allergen awareness, no employee health policy, employees failing to report illness symptoms, and improper handwashing technique.
Snappers Comedy Club on College Parkway was cited for seven high-severity violations, including inadequate handwashing facilities, inadequate shell stock identification records, parasite destruction procedures not followed, and no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods. An intermediate violation for improper sewage or wastewater disposal was also noted.
Cafe In on Cleveland Avenue matched Snappers at seven high-severity violations. Inspectors found no person in charge present or performing duties, food from an unapproved or unknown source, food in poor condition, inadequate shell stock identification records, and no allergen awareness. The absence of a responsible manager and an unverifiable food source in the same inspection is a combination that compounds every other risk in the building.
Le Goute on Fowler Street was cited for six high-severity violations, including no person in charge, no employee health policy, employees not reporting illness symptoms, improper handwashing technique, food in poor condition, and food contact surfaces not properly cleaned. Two intermediate violations, one for inadequate cooling and cold holding equipment and one for equipment in poor repair, were also documented.
Clase Azul of Estero on Gulf Coast Main Street drew five high-severity violations, including toxic substances improperly identified, stored, or used, food in poor condition, no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods, improper handwashing technique, and no person in charge. Inspectors also noted improper sewage or wastewater disposal, multi-use utensils not properly cleaned, and single-use items being reused.
China Dragon at the Shoppes at Plantation was cited for five high-severity violations, including no person in charge, employees not reporting illness symptoms, improper handwashing, food contact surfaces not properly cleaned, and no allergen awareness.
Tsaocaa and Hibachi on South Tamiami Trail drew five high-severity violations: no employee health policy, improper handwashing, food contact surfaces not properly cleaned, no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods, and toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled. The facility has only six prior inspections on record.
Wicked Good Deli on Metro Parkway was cited for four high-severity violations, including parasite destruction procedures not followed, improper handwashing, food contact surfaces not properly cleaned, and no allergen awareness. Three intermediate violations, including inadequate cooling and cold holding equipment, were also documented.
Chef Roland's Delight on Beacon Boulevard drew four high-severity violations: food from an unapproved or unknown source, improper handwashing, food contact surfaces not properly cleaned, and no allergen awareness. An intermediate violation for improper sewage or wastewater disposal was also noted.
Sai Gon Baguette on South Cleveland Avenue was cited for four high-severity violations, including food from an unapproved or unknown source, improper handwashing, food contact surfaces not properly cleaned, and no allergen awareness. The facility has only five prior inspections on record.
HeadPinz Fort Myers on Global Parkway drew two high-severity violations: food not cooked to required minimum temperature and no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods. Improper sewage or wastewater disposal was also noted as an intermediate violation.
Carrabba's Italian Grill on Cleveland Avenue was cited for one high-severity violation, food contact surfaces not properly cleaned or sanitized, along with one intermediate violation for inadequate ventilation and lighting.
Logan's Roadhouse on South Cleveland Avenue drew no high-severity violations, with two intermediate citations for improper sewage or wastewater disposal and inadequate ventilation.
Leoni's Pizzeria on Fiddlesticks Boulevard was cited for a single high-severity violation: improper hand and arm washing technique.
What These Violations Mean
The most widespread pattern this week was improper handwashing technique, flagged at nine facilities including Tung Hing, XiXi, Le Goute, China Dragon, Tsaocaa and Hibachi, Wicked Good Deli, Chef Roland's Delight, Sai Gon Baguette, and Leoni's Pizzeria. Inspectors citing this violation do not mean employees skipped handwashing entirely. They mean employees went through the motions in a way that leaves pathogens on their hands, because the technique was insufficient to actually remove contamination.
The second-most common pattern was no employee health policy combined with employees not reporting illness symptoms, found together at Tung Hing, XiXi, Cafe In, Le Goute, and Tsaocaa and Hibachi. These two violations are functionally inseparable. Without a written policy, workers have no formal instruction about when to stay home. Without reporting, a worker who is actively shedding Norovirus has no mechanism to flag themselves before touching food.
Three facilities, Cafe In, Chef Roland's Delight, and Sai Gon Baguette, were cited for food from unapproved or unknown sources. This violation is distinct from temperature or technique failures because it cannot be corrected by fixing a process inside the kitchen. Food from an unapproved source has bypassed USDA and FDA inspection entirely, meaning there is no traceability if a customer becomes ill and no documentation of how the food was handled before it arrived.
Parasite destruction failures at XiXi, Snappers Comedy Club, and Wicked Good Deli are particularly significant at facilities serving raw or lightly cooked fish. Proper freezing protocols are the primary control against parasites like Anisakis in fish served raw or undercooked. When those protocols are not followed and no consumer advisory is posted, as was also the case at XiXi and Snappers, customers with no way of knowing they are at elevated risk are consuming fish that has not been treated to eliminate parasites.
The Longer Record
Le Goute has the longest inspection history of any facility cited this week, with 48 prior inspections on record. That volume of inspections means state regulators have visited this Fowler Street address more than four dozen times. Six high-severity violations in the current inspection, including no person in charge and no employee health policy, are not the findings of a facility encountering these issues for the first time.
Tung Hing carries 33 prior inspections. Headpinz has 37. Clase Azul of Estero has 37. Chef Roland's Delight has 30. Wicked Good Deli and China Dragon each have 28. None of these are new operations being caught in early stumbles. They are established facilities with documented inspection histories, and the high-severity violations found this week appear against that backdrop.
Three facilities cited this week are in the earliest stages of their inspection record. XiXi Hibachi and Sushi has three prior inspections and produced the week's highest violation count. Leoni's Pizzeria also has three prior inspections. Sai Gon Baguette has five. That XiXi reached 10 high-severity violations so early in its inspection history is the most notable record detail of the week.
Cafe In, with 17 prior inspections, was cited this week for food from an unapproved source alongside the absence of a person in charge. That combination, an unverifiable food supply and no responsible manager on site to address it, remained unresolved at the time inspectors completed their report.
