FORT MYERS, FL. A seafood and taco restaurant on McGregor Boulevard drew seven high-severity violations in a single inspection last week, including citations for food sourced from unapproved suppliers, inadequate shellfish traceability records, and food not cooked to required minimum temperatures, the most violations of any facility inspected in Lee County during the week of October 2.
El Cheyo Mariscos, Botanas y Tacos at 16681 McGregor Blvd also drew citations for food in poor condition or adulterated, improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, and a failure to maintain an adequate employee health policy. Inspectors additionally cited improper handwashing technique, meaning workers were attempting to wash their hands but doing so in a way that left pathogens behind.
That is seven high-severity violations at a single restaurant in one week.
What Inspectors Found
Mastello Italian Restaurant and Steak House at 7890 Summerlin Lakes Dr accumulated six high-severity violations, including citations for food from unapproved sources, parasite destruction procedures not followed for fish, and food not cooked to required minimum temperatures. Inspectors also found no consumer advisory posted for raw or undercooked foods, and noted that employees were not reporting illness symptoms and that no person in charge was present or performing supervisory duties.
Club at Shell Point-Vue at 17500 On Par Blvd drew five high-severity violations, including toxic substances improperly stored or used and no allergen awareness demonstrated by staff. Inspectors also cited improper handwashing technique and the absence of a consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods.
Cheesesteaks.com at 8646 Gladiolus Dr also tallied five high-severity violations. Among them: inadequate shellfish identification records at a restaurant not primarily known for seafood, improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, and a failure to properly use time as a public health control, meaning food was allowed to sit in the temperature danger zone without adequate tracking.
Grimaldi's Pizzeria at 13499 Cleveland Ave S drew four high-severity violations, including food from unapproved sources and parasite destruction procedures not followed, a citation typically tied to raw or undercooked fish on the menu. Inspectors also found no allergen awareness demonstrated by staff.
Fort Myers Dinner Theatre LLC at 7050 Crystal Dr drew four high-severity violations, including no allergen awareness demonstrated and no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods. Improperly cleaned food contact surfaces were also cited.
Perkins Restaurant and Bakery 1140 at 13620 N Cleveland Ave drew four high-severity violations, including toxic substances improperly stored and inadequate shellfish identification records. Inspectors also found no person in charge present and employees not reporting illness symptoms.
Quality Inn Fort Myers Central at 4760 S Cleveland Ave drew four high-severity violations, including food in poor condition or adulterated and improperly cleaned food contact surfaces. Employees were also cited for not reporting illness symptoms and for improper handwashing technique.
Broadway Palm Dinner Theatre at 1380 Colonial Blvd drew three high-severity violations, including food from unapproved sources and parasite destruction procedures not followed. Inspectors also found no allergen awareness demonstrated.
Longhorn Steakhouse at 13701 S Tamiami Trl drew three high-severity violations, including parasite destruction procedures not followed and no consumer advisory posted for raw or undercooked foods. Food contact surfaces were also cited as improperly cleaned.
Dunkin at 1520 Colonial Blvd drew three high-severity violations, including no employee health policy and food from unapproved sources. A Dunkin location is not a facility where customers typically expect sourcing irregularities.
Tres Amigos Taqueria at 8660 Gladiolus Dr drew three high-severity violations, including food from unapproved sources and toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled near food preparation areas.
Lindy's Cafe at 13880 Shell Point Plaza drew three high-severity violations, including toxic chemicals improperly stored and no allergen awareness demonstrated. No consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods was also cited.
La Kasita LLC at 2620 Fowler St drew three high-severity violations, including no employee health policy and a failure to follow required procedures for specialized food processes. Inspectors also cited improper handwashing technique.
European American Bakery Cafe at 12450 Metro Pkwy drew two high-severity violations along with an intermediate citation for improper sewage or wastewater disposal, a finding that creates risk of fecal contamination throughout a facility.
What These Violations Mean
The food-from-unapproved-sources citation appeared at six facilities this week, including El Cheyo Mariscos, Mastello, Grimaldi's Pizzeria, Cheesesteaks.com, Broadway Palm Dinner Theatre, Tres Amigos Taqueria, and Dunkin. When food bypasses USDA or FDA inspection channels, there is no traceability if customers become ill. If a Listeria or Salmonella outbreak were traced to one of these kitchens, investigators would have no documented supply chain to follow.
Parasite destruction failures at Mastello, Grimaldi's, Broadway Palm Dinner Theatre, and Longhorn Steakhouse point to a specific and underappreciated risk. Fish served raw or undercooked without proper prior freezing can harbor Anisakis roundworms and tapeworm larvae. The required control is precise: fish must be frozen to specific temperatures for specific durations before being served in preparations like ceviche, sushi, or rare preparations. None of these four facilities had the procedures documented as followed.
The absence of allergen awareness, cited at Club at Shell Point-Vue, Fort Myers Dinner Theatre, Grimaldi's, Broadway Palm Dinner Theatre, and Lindy's Cafe, is not a paperwork problem. Food allergies send 30,000 Americans to emergency rooms annually and cause deaths. When kitchen staff cannot demonstrate awareness of the eight major allergens, customers who ask about ingredients are receiving answers from workers who may not know what they are handling.
Improper handwashing technique, cited at El Cheyo Mariscos, Club at Shell Point-Vue, Cheesesteaks.com, Quality Inn Fort Myers Central, and La Kasita, is a different category of failure than simply skipping handwashing. Workers at these facilities were washing their hands, but doing so incorrectly, meaning pathogens remained on their hands after the attempt. Studies show improper technique can leave as much contamination behind as no washing at all.
The Longer Record
Fort Myers Dinner Theatre LLC carries 34 prior inspections on record, the longest history of any facility cited this week. Grimaldi's Pizzeria follows with 35 prior inspections, and La Kasita has 32. European American Bakery Cafe has 31 prior inspections on record, the fourth-highest count in this week's group. That these facilities continue to accumulate high-severity violations across three and four dozen inspection cycles is a pattern the records document plainly.
Longhorn Steakhouse and Perkins Restaurant and Bakery each carry 28 prior inspections. Both drew high-severity violations this week in categories, specifically parasite destruction at Longhorn and toxic substance storage at Perkins, that suggest ongoing gaps in staff training rather than one-time oversights.
Broadway Palm Dinner Theatre has 27 prior inspections on record and drew violations this week in three high-severity categories, including food sourcing and parasite destruction. Club at Shell Point-Vue has 20 prior inspections and drew five high-severity violations, the third-highest total this week.
At the other end of the history spectrum, Dunkin at 1520 Colonial Blvd has only four prior inspections on record, making it among the newest facilities in this week's group. It still drew three high-severity violations, including a food-from-unapproved-sources citation that raises sourcing questions a franchise location would not typically be expected to generate. Lindy's Cafe, with seven prior inspections, drew three high-severity violations including improperly stored toxic chemicals. Whether either facility corrects these findings before the next inspection is not yet part of the record.
