DAYTONA BEACH, FL. Inspectors visiting Great China on North Nova Road in May found no demonstrated allergen awareness among staff, toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled near food, and employees washing their hands with the wrong technique, or not washing them at all. The restaurant was not closed.
The May 15 inspection produced seven high-severity violations and two intermediate violations. Under Florida's inspection framework, high-severity violations are those most directly linked to foodborne illness, chemical poisoning, and allergic reactions. Seven of them in a single visit is a significant tally. The restaurant at 864 N Nova Road remained open to customers throughout.
What Inspectors Found
The allergen violation is the one that should give pause to any customer who has ever asked a server whether a dish contains peanuts, shellfish, or soy. Inspectors found no demonstrated allergen awareness among food employees, meaning staff could not reliably identify which menu items contained common allergens or how to handle a customer's allergy request.
The chemical storage violation compounds that picture. Toxic chemicals found improperly stored or labeled near food create a direct contamination pathway, not a theoretical one.
Two separate handwashing violations were cited in the same visit. Inspectors documented both inadequate handwashing by food employees and improper hand and arm washing technique. That is not redundant paperwork. It means employees were observed either skipping handwashing entirely at required moments or performing it in a way that leaves pathogens on their hands regardless.
Food contact surfaces, the cutting boards, prep tables, and equipment that touch food directly, were also cited as not properly cleaned or sanitized. Multi-use utensils drew an intermediate citation for the same reason. The restaurant had no consumer advisory posted for raw or undercooked foods, and no written employee health policy to govern whether sick workers should be excluded from food handling.
What These Violations Mean
The allergen citation carries immediate stakes for a specific group of customers. Food allergies affect roughly 32 million Americans, and allergic reactions send 30,000 people to emergency rooms each year. When a kitchen cannot demonstrate basic allergen awareness, customers with life-threatening allergies to peanuts, tree nuts, shellfish, or other common ingredients have no reliable way to assess their risk before ordering.
The two handwashing violations together describe a kitchen where contamination moves freely. Improper technique, even when a handwashing attempt is made, leaves enough pathogens on hands to transfer Norovirus, Salmonella, and E. coli to food. Norovirus alone causes an estimated 20 million illnesses in the United States each year, and hands are its primary vehicle.
Improperly cleaned food contact surfaces and multi-use utensils create a second contamination pathway that runs parallel to the handwashing problem. Bacterial biofilms develop on improperly cleaned surfaces within 24 hours and are resistant to standard cleaning once established. At Great China, inspectors found both problems present in the same visit.
The absence of an employee health policy means there is no formal mechanism requiring sick workers to stay out of the kitchen. That gap matters most during Norovirus season, when an infected food handler who continues working can expose every customer served during their shift.
The Longer Record
The May 2026 inspection does not represent a new low for this address. It represents a continuation of a pattern that state records trace back years.
Great China has 25 inspections on record with a cumulative total of 358 violations. The November 2025 inspection produced six high-severity and four intermediate violations. The March 2025 visits, two inspections conducted on consecutive days, produced four high and three intermediate on March 5, and ten high and six intermediate on March 4. The October 2022 inspection logged eleven high-severity violations. The December 2022 inspection logged nine.
In eight of the most recent documented inspections, every single visit produced at least four high-severity violations. None of those inspections resulted in an emergency closure.
Great China: Recent Inspection History
The category of violations has also stayed consistent. Handwashing failures, food contact surface problems, and employee health policy gaps appear across multiple inspection cycles, not as isolated findings but as recurring citations at the same location.
The record shows 25 inspections. It shows 358 total violations. It shows zero emergency closures.
After the May 15 inspection, Great China remained open for business on North Nova Road.