WINTER GARDEN, FL. A state inspector visiting Great Greek #70005 on New Independence Parkway on July 24 found food not cooked to the required minimum temperature, no written employee health policy, and toxic chemicals stored improperly near food areas, among a total of 12 high-severity violations. The restaurant was not emergency-closed.
The violation count places this inspection among the most serious in the facility's recorded history. Twelve high-severity citations in a single visit, combined with four intermediate violations, adds up to a picture that goes well beyond a few paperwork problems.
What Inspectors Found
The inspector cited the person in charge for not being present or not performing required duties. That single violation sets the context for nearly everything else on the list: when no one is actively managing a kitchen, violations cascade.
Food contact surfaces were not properly cleaned or sanitized. Multi-use utensils were not properly cleaned. The inspector also documented that time as a public health control was not properly used, meaning food sat in the temperature danger zone without the tracking procedures required when refrigeration is not the primary safety method.
There was no consumer advisory posted for raw or undercooked foods, and no allergen awareness was demonstrated by staff. Required procedures for specialized processes were not followed.
The intermediate violations included improper sewage or wastewater disposal, inadequate ventilation and lighting, and inadequate or improperly maintained toilet facilities. Those are not paperwork issues. Improper sewage disposal creates a direct fecal contamination pathway through a facility.
What These Violations Mean
The combination of no employee illness policy and employees not reporting symptoms of illness is among the most direct routes to a multi-victim outbreak. Norovirus, which causes roughly 20 million illnesses in the United States each year, spreads primarily through infected food workers who handle ready-to-eat food while symptomatic. Without a written health policy at Great Greek #70005, there is no documented framework requiring sick employees to stay home or report symptoms before a shift.
Food not cooked to the required minimum temperature is a separate and acute risk. Salmonella in poultry survives below 165 degrees Fahrenheit. A customer eating undercooked protein at this location on or around July 24 had no way of knowing the food had not reached a safe internal temperature.
The allergen violation compounds that risk for a specific population. Food allergies affect 32 million Americans and cause roughly 30,000 emergency room visits annually. At a restaurant where staff cannot demonstrate allergen awareness, a customer with a tree nut or sesame allergy, two ingredients common in Greek cuisine, is relying on knowledge the inspector found absent.
Toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled near food areas creates a different category of risk entirely: acute chemical poisoning through contamination or mislabeling, not a slow-developing bacterial illness but an immediate one.
The Longer Record
The July 24 inspection is not an anomaly. State records show 21 inspections on file for this location, with 200 total violations accumulated across that history.
The pattern in recent years is consistent. In August 2025, an inspection found 10 high-severity and 2 intermediate violations. That was preceded three days earlier by a separate visit showing 1 high and 1 intermediate violation, suggesting a follow-up that partially resolved concerns. In March 2025, the inspector cited 9 high-severity and 5 intermediate violations. In October 2024, 5 high and 3 intermediate. In May 2024, 5 high and 1 intermediate.
The one clean inspection in this stretch, a January 29, 2026 visit with zero high-severity and zero intermediate violations, stands out precisely because it is surrounded by visits with serious findings on both sides.
Great Greek #70005: Recent Inspection History
The facility has never been emergency-closed in its 21 inspections on record. That includes the August 2025 visit with 10 high-severity violations, the March 2025 visit with 9, and now the July 2026 visit with 12.
The July 24 inspection is the highest single-visit high-severity count in the facility's recorded history. The restaurant was open for business when the inspector left.
