ORLANDO, FL. An inspector walked into Hop Bo Chinese Restaurant on Curry Ford Road on August 12 and found food not cooked to the required minimum temperature, toxic chemicals improperly stored near food, and no consumer advisory warning customers that some items were raw or undercooked. Seven high-severity violations later, the restaurant stayed open.
The facility at 4420 Curry Ford Road collected seven high-priority citations and two intermediate violations in a single visit. State records show it has now accumulated 267 total violations across 23 inspections on record, including a prior emergency closure in 2016.
What Inspectors Found
The undercooked food citation is the most direct threat to anyone who ate at Hop Bo on or before that inspection date. Salmonella survives in poultry cooked below 165 degrees Fahrenheit, and a kitchen that is not reaching required temperatures is a kitchen sending that risk to the table.
Toxic chemicals stored improperly near food compounds that risk in a different direction. Mislabeled or misplaced cleaning agents can contaminate food directly, and the consequences are acute rather than delayed.
The restaurant also lacked a consumer advisory, the menu notation that warns customers a dish contains raw or undercooked ingredients. Without it, a pregnant woman, an elderly diner, or someone immunocompromised has no way of knowing they are making a high-risk choice.
Inspectors also cited the restaurant for shellfish without adequate identification records, food contact surfaces not properly cleaned or sanitized, improper use of time as a public health control, and employees washing hands with incorrect technique. That last violation is particularly layered: a worker who attempts to wash their hands but uses the wrong method leaves pathogens behind, and the error is invisible to anyone watching.
What These Violations Mean
Undercooked food is among the most direct causes of foodborne illness in restaurant settings. Poultry that does not reach 165 degrees Fahrenheit retains viable Salmonella. A single serving can cause illness severe enough to require hospitalization, and the source is often not identified until multiple people report symptoms.
The shellfish traceability violation carries a different kind of danger. When shellfish arrive without proper identification tags, there is no way to trace them back to a harvest location if customers fall ill. Oysters, clams, and mussels are frequently consumed raw or lightly cooked, and contaminated shellfish from an unverified source can cause Vibrio infections that escalate quickly in vulnerable populations.
Improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, including cutting boards and prep equipment, are among the most reliable pathways for cross-contamination. Bacteria from raw protein left on a surface that is not properly sanitized transfers directly to the next item prepared on it, whether that item is cooked or served cold.
The time-as-public-health-control violation means food was kept in the temperature danger zone, between 41 and 135 degrees Fahrenheit, without proper tracking of how long it had been there. When neither temperature nor time is being controlled, there is no mechanism to catch food that has crossed into unsafe territory before it reaches a customer.
The Longer Record
The August 12 inspection is not an outlier. State records show Hop Bo has logged high-severity violations in every inspection on record going back through 2023, with counts ranging from five to nine high-priority citations per visit.
The April 2026 inspection, just four months before this one, produced eight high-severity violations and three intermediate ones. The January 2025 inspection produced nine high-severity violations and two intermediate ones. The pattern across eight documented prior inspections is consistent: the number of high-priority violations never drops below five.
The restaurant's single emergency closure came in April 2016, when inspectors ordered it shut for roach activity. It reopened the following day. In the decade since, the facility has continued to accumulate high-severity citations across every inspection cycle without another closure order.
Across 23 inspections, Hop Bo has recorded 267 total violations. That is an average of more than 11 violations per inspection visit.
Still Open
State inspectors documented seven high-severity violations at Hop Bo Chinese Restaurant on August 12, 2026, including food that was not cooked to required temperatures and toxic chemicals stored improperly near food.
The restaurant was not closed.
