ORLANDO, FL. Fish served without parasite destruction procedures, food sourced from unapproved or unknown suppliers, and toxic chemicals stored improperly near food: inspectors documented all of it at Gogi Hotpot & BBQ & Sushi on West Colonial Drive on July 13, 2026. The restaurant collected 7 high-severity violations and 6 intermediate violations. It was not closed.
What Inspectors Found
The most direct threat to customers who ate there that day: fish served without documented parasite destruction procedures. A hotpot and sushi restaurant handles raw and lightly cooked fish as a core part of its menu. When parasite destruction protocols are skipped, parasites including Anisakis and tapeworm can survive in the fish and reach the customer's plate.
Compounding that, inspectors cited the restaurant for sourcing food from unapproved or unknown suppliers. At a facility that serves raw fish and sushi, the inability to trace where product came from is not a paperwork problem. It means there is no chain of custody if someone gets sick.
Food was also found not cooked to required minimum temperatures. The restaurant had no consumer advisory posted to warn diners that raw or undercooked items carry elevated risk.
Toxic chemicals were found improperly stored or labeled. No person in charge was present or performing supervisory duties. Employees were observed using improper handwashing technique.
The intermediate violations added to the picture: improperly cleaned multi-use utensils, single-use items being reused, inadequate cooling equipment, improper sewage or wastewater disposal, inadequate ventilation and lighting, and inadequate toilet facilities.
What These Violations Mean
The combination of unapproved food sourcing and failed parasite destruction is particularly acute at a sushi and hotpot concept. When a restaurant cannot document where its fish originated, health investigators have no starting point if diners report illness. Listeria, Salmonella, and E. coli are among the pathogens that USDA and FDA inspections are designed to catch before product reaches a kitchen. Food that bypasses that system arrives without that screening.
Parasite destruction for fish intended to be served raw or undercooked requires specific freezing temperatures held for specific durations, or cooking to verified internal temperatures. Gogi Hotpot's inspection found neither requirement was being met. Anisakis, a roundworm found in marine fish, can cause severe abdominal pain and requires surgical or endoscopic removal in serious cases.
The absence of a person in charge performing supervisory duties is the violation that, in practice, allows the others to accumulate. CDC data cited in the inspection record indicates establishments without active managerial control generate three times as many critical violations as those with engaged oversight. At Gogi Hotpot on July 13, the inspection found management absent and seven high-severity problems in place simultaneously.
Improperly cleaned multi-use utensils, combined with single-use items being reused, create layered cross-contamination risk at a restaurant where raw proteins, sauces, and shared cooking surfaces are central to the dining format.
The Longer Record
Gogi Hotpot: Inspection History
The July 13 inspection was the 17th on record for Gogi Hotpot. Across those 17 inspections, the facility has accumulated 286 total violations. Every inspection in the available record has included high-severity citations.
The restaurant was emergency-closed on November 4, 2025, after inspectors documented rodent, roach, and fly activity alongside 10 high-severity and 7 intermediate violations. It was allowed to reopen the following day. Within two months, in January 2026, inspectors returned twice in three days and found 9 high-severity violations on January 6 and 8 high-severity violations on January 9.
The July 13 violations, including the unapproved food sourcing and parasite destruction failures, are not the worst the record shows. But they arrived at a restaurant that has never, across 17 inspections, produced a clean report. The fish with no documented parasite controls was on the menu that day, and the restaurant remained open.
