FORT MYERS, FL. State inspectors cited Cadeau Cafe at 10650 Metro Pkwy for six high-severity violations during the week of September 17, 2026, more than any other restaurant inspected in Fort Myers that week, including food sourced from unapproved or unknown origins, employees not reporting symptoms of illness, improper hand-washing technique, food in poor condition, failure to follow parasite destruction procedures, and food contact surfaces not properly cleaned or sanitized.
That same week, inspectors documented high-severity violations at 14 other Fort Myers restaurants. One restaurant did not make it through the week open at all.
The Closure
Nardette Take Out Restaurant on Fowler St was shut down September 17 for roach activity, the same day the inspection week opened.
Nardette Take Out Restaurant at 3082 Fowler St was ordered closed on September 17 after inspectors documented roach activity on the premises. The closure came on the first day of the inspection period.
What Inspectors Found
Ren's Bistro at 2150 W 1st St matched Cadeau Cafe with six high-severity violations of its own. Inspectors cited the restaurant for having no employee health policy, employees not reporting illness symptoms, improper hand-washing technique, food in poor condition, no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods, and no allergen awareness demonstrated. Two intermediate violations, including improper sewage or wastewater disposal and improperly cleaned multi-use utensils, rounded out the report.
Wok Cuisine Chinese Restaurant at 1910 Boy Scout Dr drew five high-severity violations. Inspectors found no employee health policy, improper hand-washing technique, no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods, toxic substances improperly identified, stored, or used, and no allergen awareness demonstrated. The restaurant also had inadequate ventilation and lighting and improperly maintained toilet facilities among its intermediate violations.
Little Sicily at 5611 Six Mile Commercial Ct was cited for five high-severity violations, including inadequate handwashing facilities, improper hand-washing technique, inadequate shell stock identification records, food contact surfaces not properly cleaned or sanitized, and toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled. Inspectors also noted improper sewage disposal and improperly cleaned multi-use utensils.
Panda Express No. 1656 at 9330 Ben C. Pratt Six Mile Cypress Pkwy was cited for four high-severity violations, including food not cooked to required minimum temperature, a finding that puts Salmonella and other pathogens directly on the table. Inspectors also cited improper hand-washing technique, food contact surfaces not properly cleaned or sanitized, and toxic substances improperly identified, stored, or used.
Lis China King at 7950 Dani Dr received four high-severity violations, including no employee health policy, employees not reporting illness symptoms, improper hand-washing technique, and food contact surfaces not properly cleaned or sanitized. Inspectors also found single-use items being improperly reused and equipment in poor repair.
Biscottis at 15751 San Carlos Blvd drew four high-severity violations centered on consumer risk disclosures and food safety controls: inadequate shell stock identification records, time as a public health control not properly used, no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods, and no allergen awareness demonstrated.
Cantina Laredo at 5200 Big Pine Way was cited for four high-severity violations, including improper hand-washing technique, food contact surfaces not properly cleaned or sanitized, toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled, and no allergen awareness demonstrated.
Bellini's at 13451 McGregor Blvd received four high-severity violations: no employee health policy, improper hand-washing technique, no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods, and toxic substances improperly identified, stored, or used.
Sweet Tomatoes at 14080 S Tamiami Trl was cited for four high-severity violations, including the person in charge not present or not performing duties, no employee health policy, employees not reporting illness symptoms, and no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods. Inspectors also documented improper sewage disposal.
Snappers Comedy Club at 8595 College Pkwy drew four high-severity violations: inadequate handwashing by food employees, parasite destruction procedures not followed, food contact surfaces not properly cleaned or sanitized, and toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled.
Jalapeno's at 2249 Cleveland Ave was cited for three high-severity violations, including no employee health policy, food contact surfaces not properly cleaned or sanitized, and toxic substances improperly identified, stored, or used. Inspectors also found improper sewage disposal, single-use items being reused, and inadequate ventilation and lighting.
Sushi Sake at 12901 McGregor Blvd received three high-severity violations: employees not reporting illness symptoms, inadequate handwashing facilities, and improper hand-washing technique. Inspectors also noted improper sewage disposal, improperly cleaned multi-use utensils, and inadequate toilet facilities.
Pao de Minas Bakery at 2215-A Winkler Ave was cited for two high-severity violations: no employee health policy and inadequate shell stock identification records.
Tap 42 at 13499 S Cleveland Ave drew one high-severity violation, for parasite destruction procedures not followed.
What These Violations Mean
The single most recurring high-severity violation across this week's inspections was improper hand-washing technique, cited at Cadeau Cafe, Ren's Bistro, Wok Cuisine, Little Sicily, Lis China King, Panda Express, Cantina Laredo, Bellini's, and Sushi Sake. This is not a paperwork problem. Studies show that improper technique, meaning insufficient duration, skipped steps, or failure to use soap, leaves active pathogens on hands even when a worker believes they have washed. Those hands then touch food directly.
The employee illness violations are in a different category of danger. At Cadeau Cafe, Ren's Bistro, Lis China King, Sweet Tomatoes, and Sushi Sake, inspectors found that employees were not reporting symptoms of illness. Norovirus, which spreads through fecal-oral contact and causes roughly 20 million cases of gastroenteritis in the United States each year, is transmitted most efficiently by a sick food worker who does not know, or does not disclose, that they are ill. Ren's Bistro and Sweet Tomatoes compounded this by also lacking any written employee health policy, meaning there is no documented framework for workers to understand when they must stay home.
Food from unapproved or unknown sources, cited at Cadeau Cafe, strips away the traceability chain that exists specifically for outbreak investigations. If a customer becomes ill after eating there, inspectors cannot trace the food back through a licensed distributor to identify a contaminated lot. The shellfish traceability violations at Biscottis, Little Sicily, and Pao de Minas Bakery carry the same risk for a food type that is frequently consumed raw or barely cooked, where a single contaminated oyster or clam can transmit Vibrio or Norovirus directly.
The food-not-cooked-to-temperature violation at Panda Express is among the most direct pathogen risks in this week's data. Salmonella in poultry survives below 165 degrees Fahrenheit. Undercooking is not a marginal failure; it is a direct delivery mechanism for a pathogen that sends more than a million Americans to the doctor annually.
The Longer Record
Jalapeno's on Cleveland Avenue carries the longest inspection history of any facility in this week's data, with 38 prior inspections on record, and still drew three high-severity violations this week, including improper sewage disposal and toxic substances improperly stored. Wok Cuisine, Cantina Laredo, and Bellini's each have 31 prior inspections on record, and all three were cited this week for violations involving either toxic substance storage, allergen awareness failures, or both.
Panda Express and Biscottis each have 30 prior inspections on record. Both were cited this week for violations that require active management decisions to prevent: Panda Express for food not cooked to required temperature and toxic substance handling, Biscottis for time-as-public-health-control failures and no allergen awareness. These are not new concepts for facilities with that inspection history.
Sweet Tomatoes presents a different concern. With only three prior inspections on record, it is among the newest facilities in this week's data, yet it accumulated four high-severity violations, including no person in charge present or performing duties, no employee health policy, employees not reporting illness symptoms, and no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods. That is a significant cluster of management and disclosure failures for a location still in its early inspection history.
Cadeau Cafe and Ren's Bistro, the two facilities with the highest violation counts this week, have nine and six prior inspections on record, respectively. Both were cited for improper sewage disposal in addition to their high-severity counts. Neither facility's sewage violation was a first-inspection anomaly.
