FORT MYERS, FL. State inspectors cited Italian 2 Go on Corporate Court for six high-severity violations during the week of September 10, more than any other restaurant in Fort Myers that week, including food sourced from unapproved or unknown suppliers, no written employee health policy, no allergen awareness among staff, improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, and no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked items.
Fourteen other Fort Myers restaurants drew high-severity citations in the same seven-day stretch. Inspectors documented violations across a range of categories, from undercooking and shellfish traceability failures to improperly stored toxic chemicals sitting near food.
What Inspectors Found
Resurgence Brewing Company on Exchange Lane drew five high-severity violations, including food from an unapproved source, inadequate shell stock identification records, food not cooked to the required minimum temperature, no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods, and toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled near food.
Sidelines Sports Bar and Grill on Veronica Shoemaker Boulevard also received five high-severity citations. Inspectors found no person in charge present or performing duties, inadequate handwashing facilities, improper handwashing technique among staff, improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, and time used as a public health control without being properly implemented.
Oar and Iron on Dani Drive was cited for four high-severity violations: improper handwashing technique, food from an unapproved source, food not cooked to the required minimum temperature, and toxic substances improperly identified, stored, or used.
Mr Tequila on Summerlin Road drew three high-severity violations, including an employee failing to report symptoms of illness, food from an unapproved source, and inadequate shell stock identification records. Inspectors also documented improper sewage or wastewater disposal as an intermediate violation.
Banh Mi and Tea Inc on Six Mile Cypress Parkway received three high-severity citations, covering improper handwashing technique, improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, and no allergen awareness demonstrated by staff.
Beaches Boardwalk Cafe at Southwest Florida International Airport was cited for time as a public health control not properly used, toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled, and no allergen awareness demonstrated.
Keke's Breakfast Cafe on Dani Drive drew three high-severity violations: an employee not reporting illness symptoms, food not cooked to the required minimum temperature, and toxic substances improperly identified, stored, or used.
Snappers Comedy Club on College Parkway, Grand Court on College Parkway, and Chicago Baked Pizzeria on Forum Boulevard each received three high-severity violations. Snappers was cited for time abuse, no consumer advisory, and improperly stored toxic chemicals. Grand Court's violations included food from an unapproved source, missing shell stock records, and no consumer advisory. Chicago Baked Pizzeria was cited for an employee not reporting illness and failure to follow parasite destruction procedures for fish.
Chili's Bar and Grill on College Parkway received two high-severity violations for inadequate shell stock identification and no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods. Tony's NY Pizza on Forum Boulevard was cited for improperly cleaned food contact surfaces and food not cooked to the required minimum temperature. Bentofu on Forum Boulevard drew citations for improper handwashing technique and inadequate shell stock identification records. Paris Banh Mi on Dani Drive received a single high-severity violation for failing to follow required procedures for specialized food processes.
What These Violations Mean
The most widespread violation category this week was food from unapproved or unknown sources, documented at Italian 2 Go, Resurgence Brewing Company, Oar and Iron, Mr Tequila, and Grand Court. When a restaurant cannot identify where its food came from, there is no chain of custody to trace if a customer gets sick. USDA and FDA inspections that would normally catch Listeria or Salmonella contamination before food reaches a kitchen never happened for that product.
Shell stock traceability failures, cited at Resurgence Brewing Company, Mr Tequila, Grand Court, Chili's, and Bentofu, carry a specific and acute risk. Oysters, clams, and mussels are frequently consumed raw or barely cooked. Without harvest tags and dealer records, a norovirus or Vibrio outbreak cannot be traced back to a contaminated bed, meaning the source stays in the supply chain.
Three facilities, Mr Tequila, Chicago Baked Pizzeria, and Keke's Breakfast Cafe, were cited for employees not reporting illness symptoms. Public health researchers identify sick food workers as the leading cause of multi-victim outbreaks. A single infected employee handling ready-to-eat food can expose dozens of customers before any symptom is visible to a manager.
Allergen awareness violations at Italian 2 Go, Banh Mi and Tea Inc, and Beaches Boardwalk Cafe represent a different category of risk. Food allergies affect roughly 32 million Americans, and a kitchen where staff cannot identify allergens in dishes is a kitchen where a customer with a severe peanut or shellfish allergy cannot make a safe choice, regardless of what they ask a server.
The Longer Record
Italian 2 Go has 38 prior inspections on record, the longest history of any facility cited this week. Six high-severity violations in a single inspection, across a facility that has been inspected that many times, raises a direct question about whether prior visits produced lasting corrections.
Sidelines Sports Bar and Grill has 33 prior inspections on record and received five high-severity violations this week, including no person in charge present. Chili's Bar and Grill has 31 prior inspections and was still cited for missing shell stock records and no consumer advisory, two violations that require no equipment or staffing, only paperwork and a posted notice.
Beaches Boardwalk Cafe carries 29 prior inspections, as does Bentofu. Both drew high-severity violations this week. Chicago Baked Pizzeria has 27 prior inspections and was cited for parasite destruction failures, a process-level violation that should be established in standard operating procedures long before a restaurant accumulates that inspection history.
Snappers Comedy Club has 26 prior inspections. Grand Court has 24. Tony's NY Pizza has 22. Banh Mi and Tea Inc has 18. Keke's Breakfast Cafe has 15. None of these are new operations encountering inspectors for the first time.
The contrast at the other end of the record is notable. Resurgence Brewing Company and Mr Tequila each had only 2 prior inspections on record when they were cited for five and three high-severity violations respectively this week. Oar and Iron and Paris Banh Mi each had 6 prior inspections. These are relatively new locations accumulating serious citations early in their inspection histories.
The Longer Pattern
Resurgence Brewing Company's shellfish traceability violation stands unresolved in the record this week. The brewery was cited for inadequate shell stock identification, meaning inspectors could not confirm the origin of shellfish on the premises, and the facility has only two prior inspections to show any pattern of correction or compliance.
