FORT MYERS, FL. State inspectors cited Tung Hing Chinese Restaurant on Fowler Street for six high-severity violations during the week of October 7, including food not cooked to the required minimum temperature and toxic substances improperly stored or used, a combination that puts customers at simultaneous risk of pathogen survival and chemical exposure. The Fowler Street location also drew citations for no employee health policy, improper handwashing technique, unclean food contact surfaces, and no demonstrated allergen awareness. That is six of the most serious violation categories state inspectors track, all in a single visit.
Fourteen other Fort Myers facilities drew high-severity citations the same week.
The Violations
Mastello Italian Restaurant and Steak House on Summerlin Lakes Drive matched Tung Hing's count with six high-severity violations, none of them minor. Inspectors found that the person in charge was not present or not performing duties, that employees were not reporting illness symptoms, that food came from unapproved or unknown sources, that parasite destruction procedures were not followed, that food was not cooked to required minimum temperatures, and that no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods was posted. Food from an unapproved source and skipped parasite destruction in the same kitchen, on the same day, is a compounding failure.
Vicky Bakery on Cleveland Avenue drew five high-severity violations, including no employee health policy, employees not reporting illness symptoms, food not cooked to required temperature, time as a public health control not properly used, and no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods. Inspectors also noted improper sewage or wastewater disposal, an intermediate violation that carries its own contamination risk.
Olive Garden Italian Restaurant at University Plaza Drive was cited for five high-severity violations including inadequate shell stock identification, parasite destruction procedures not followed, food not cooked to required minimum temperature, time as a public health control not properly used, and required procedures for specialized processes not followed. Shell stock records exist specifically so health officials can trace the source of an oyster or clam if a customer gets sick. Without them, that trace is impossible.
Club at Shell Point-Vue on On Par Boulevard was cited for five high-severity violations, including employees not reporting illness symptoms, improper handwashing technique, no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods, and toxic substances improperly identified, stored, or used. Inspectors also found no allergen awareness demonstrated, a citation that puts the club's diners, who may include elderly residents of the surrounding retirement community, at direct risk.
Forest Country Club on Club Boulevard drew five high-severity violations including no employee health policy, improper handwashing technique, food from an unapproved or unknown source, parasite destruction procedures not followed, and toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled.
Steam Subs and Hungry Howie on Cleveland Avenue was cited for improper handwashing technique, unclean food contact surfaces, time as a public health control not properly used, and no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods.
Clase Azul of Estero at Gulf Coast Main Street accumulated four high-severity and five intermediate violations. The high-severity list included no employee health policy, employees not reporting illness symptoms, food from an unapproved or unknown source, and unclean food contact surfaces. Intermediate violations included improper sewage disposal and improper sanitizer concentration.
Vybe on South Cleveland Avenue was cited for no person in charge present or performing duties, employees not reporting illness, improper handwashing technique, and unclean food contact surfaces.
Buffalo Wings and Rings on South Cleveland Avenue was cited for no employee health policy, employees not reporting illness, improper handwashing technique, and toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled.
Quality Inn Fort Myers Central on South Cleveland Avenue drew four high-severity violations including employees not reporting illness, improper handwashing technique, food in poor condition or adulterated, and unclean food contact surfaces.
Perkins Restaurant and Bakery on North Cleveland Avenue was cited for no person in charge present or performing duties, employees not reporting illness, inadequate shell stock identification, and toxic substances improperly identified, stored, or used. A restaurant with no manager on duty and no shellfish traceability records is two overlapping failures at once.
Broadway Palm Dinner Theatre on Colonial Boulevard drew three high-severity violations: food from an unapproved or unknown source, parasite destruction procedures not followed, and no allergen awareness demonstrated.
Lindy's Cafe on Shell Point Plaza was cited for no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods, toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled, and no allergen awareness demonstrated.
European American Bakery Cafe on Metro Parkway drew two high-severity violations, time as a public health control not properly used and no consumer advisory, along with improper sewage or wastewater disposal.
What These Violations Mean
The single most repeated high-severity violation this week was employees not reporting illness symptoms, cited at Mastello, Vicky Bakery, Club at Shell Point-Vue, Clase Azul, Vybe, Buffalo Wings and Rings, Quality Inn, and Perkins. A food worker who comes in sick and handles food is the most direct transmission route for Norovirus, which causes 20 million American illnesses per year. The violation does not mean a sick employee was seen working. It means the facility had no system in place to catch it before it happened.
Food from unapproved or unknown sources was cited at Mastello, Forest Country Club, Clase Azul, and Broadway Palm. When food bypasses USDA and FDA inspection, there is no audit trail. If a customer gets sick, investigators cannot determine where the food came from, who processed it, or whether others are at risk from the same batch.
Parasite destruction failures at Mastello, Olive Garden, Forest Country Club, and Broadway Palm carry a specific risk that is easy to underestimate. Fish served raw or lightly cooked, including salmon and sushi-grade preparations, must be frozen to specific temperatures for specific durations to kill parasites like Anisakis. Skipping that step does not always make food look or taste different. Customers do not know it happened.
Toxic substances improperly identified, stored, or used appeared at Tung Hing, Club at Shell Point-Vue, Perkins, Buffalo Wings and Rings, Forest Country Club, and Lindy's Cafe. Chemical contamination of food does not require a spill. A cleaning product stored above a prep surface, an unlabeled spray bottle used near open food, a mislabeled container, any of those can introduce a toxic substance without anyone noticing until a customer reports symptoms.
The Longer Record
Clase Azul of Estero has 38 prior inspections on record, the most of any facility cited this week, and still drew four high-severity and five intermediate violations in October 2026. Tung Hing follows with 34 prior inspections and six high-severity violations in the same week. European American Bakery Cafe has 31 inspections on record. None of those inspection histories appear to have resolved the categories of violations documented this week.
Forest Country Club and Perkins Restaurant and Bakery each have 28 prior inspections on record. Forest Country Club was cited for food from an unapproved source and parasite destruction failures, violations that require active decisions about purchasing and food handling protocols, not just equipment maintenance. Perkins drew a citation for no person in charge on duty alongside inadequate shell stock records, two violations that compound each other directly.
Olive Garden at University Plaza has 25 prior inspections on record and was cited this week for five high-severity violations including shell stock traceability failures and parasite destruction lapses. Mastello has 24 prior inspections. Broadway Palm has 27. These are not new operations learning their way through state code.
The newest facilities in this week's data tell a different story. Vybe had only 2 prior inspections on record and drew four high-severity violations, including no person in charge and employees not reporting illness. Steam Subs and Hungry Howie had 4 prior inspections and drew four high-severity citations. Vicky Bakery, with 5 inspections on record, was cited for five high-severity violations including improper sewage disposal. Whether those early patterns persist across dozens of future inspections, as they have at Clase Azul and Tung Hing, remains an open question.
