FORT MYERS, FL. Inspectors visiting Florida Boy Burger Co. on Fowler Street during the week of May 25 found food not cooked to the required minimum temperature, no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked items, inadequate shellfish identification records, and an employee who had not reported symptoms of illness, among six total high-severity violations at the single location.
That tally was the highest of any Fort Myers facility inspected during the week. The violations also included improper hand and arm washing technique and no person in charge performing required duties, a combination that state health data consistently links to cascading failures across a kitchen.
What Inspectors Found
Florida Boy Burger Co. also drew citations for multi-use utensils not properly cleaned and single-use items being reused improperly. Those intermediate violations, stacked beneath six high-severity citations in a single visit, point to a kitchen operating without consistent oversight at nearly every level.
Tung Hing Chinese Restaurant on Fowler Street recorded four high-severity violations during the same inspection week. Inspectors cited the facility for food contact surfaces not properly cleaned or sanitized, toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled, no employee health policy, and required procedures for specialized processes not followed.
The specialized process violation at Tung Hing is notable. It signals that the kitchen is using a technique, such as curing, smoking, fermenting, or reduced-oxygen packaging, that requires precise written protocols and monitoring. Without those controls, the process itself becomes a contamination risk.
Eatery by Ryan on Alico Mission Way drew three high-severity violations, including toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled, no employee health policy, and time as a public health control not properly used. When a facility uses time rather than temperature to keep food safe, it must track exactly when food entered the temperature danger zone and discard it within four hours. Inspectors found that process was not being followed.
Ren's Bistro on West First Street was cited for two high-severity violations: no employee health policy and improper hand and arm washing technique. Intermediate violations included improper sanitizer concentration, inadequate ventilation and lighting, and inadequate toilet facilities.
Vuelve a la Vida Seafood Restaurant on Boy Scout Drive drew two high-severity violations: improper hand and arm washing technique and no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods. For a seafood restaurant, the absence of a consumer advisory is a direct exposure risk for elderly diners, pregnant women, and anyone immunocompromised who might order raw or lightly cooked shellfish without knowing the advisory is missing.
Metro Deli and Cafe on Metro Parkway also recorded two high-severity violations: no employee health policy and no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods.
What These Violations Mean
The most acute risk documented this week came at Florida Boy Burger Co., where food was found not cooked to the required minimum temperature. Salmonella in poultry survives below 165 degrees Fahrenheit and cannot be detected by sight, smell, or taste. A burger or chicken item pulled from the grill too early carries the same appearance as a properly cooked one. The only safeguard is a thermometer and a trained employee who uses it, and inspectors found no person in charge performing those duties during their visit.
Four of the six facilities this week had no employee health policy, a violation documented at Tung Hing, Eatery by Ryan, Ren's Bistro, and Metro Deli and Cafe. That citation means the restaurant has no written system to keep sick workers out of food preparation. Norovirus, the most common cause of foodborne illness in the United States, spreads through exactly that gap. An employee with symptoms who shows up for a shift, touches food, and handles shared surfaces can infect dozens of customers before anyone connects the cases.
Three facilities, Florida Boy Burger Co., Ren's Bistro, and Vuelve a la Vida, were cited for improper hand and arm washing technique. This is distinct from simply not washing hands. The employee made an attempt, but the technique was inadequate, meaning pathogens remained on the hands after the wash. Studies have found that even a brief lapse in technique, skipping the wrist, not scrubbing long enough, rinsing too quickly, leaves enough contamination to transfer bacteria to food and surfaces.
The missing consumer advisories at Vuelve a la Vida and Metro Deli and Cafe mean customers have no notice that certain menu items are served raw or undercooked. That omission falls hardest on the people who most need the warning.
The Longer Record
Vuelve a la Vida Seafood Restaurant carries the longest inspection history of any facility cited this week, with 46 prior inspections on record. Despite that volume of state contact, inspectors still documented two high-severity violations during the May 25 week, including the missing consumer advisory on a menu that almost certainly includes raw shellfish. Forty-six inspections is a long record to still be receiving the same category of consumer-protection citation.
Eatery by Ryan has 32 prior inspections on record, and Tung Hing Chinese Restaurant has 31. Both facilities drew multiple high-severity violations this week. Tung Hing's citation for improperly stored toxic chemicals near food is not a subtle or technical violation. It is the kind of finding that should not appear in a facility with three decades of inspection contact.
Metro Deli and Cafe has 28 prior inspections and still lacks a written employee health policy. Florida Boy Burger Co. has 18 prior inspections and drew the week's highest violation count, including the food temperature and shellfish traceability citations.
Ren's Bistro is the newest entrant in this week's data, with only 5 prior inspections on record. It is already drawing high-severity citations for handwashing technique and the absence of an employee health policy, alongside intermediate violations for sanitizer concentration and toilet facilities. It is early in the facility's inspection history, but the pattern being established is not a reassuring one.
Florida Boy Burger Co.'s shellfish traceability violation remains the most unresolved finding of the week. Without proper shell stock identification and records, there is no chain of custody if a customer becomes ill after eating oysters, clams, or mussels. The records that would allow investigators to trace the product back to its harvest bed and pull contaminated stock from other restaurants simply do not exist.