JACKSONVILLE, FL. A Hungry Howie's at 5613 University Blvd W was cited for seven high-severity violations on September 1, 2026, including toxic chemicals stored improperly near food, no demonstrated allergen awareness among staff, and food contact surfaces that had not been properly cleaned or sanitized. The restaurant was not emergency-closed.
Inspectors also documented that the location had no adequate employee health policy, meaning sick workers could handle food without any formal protocol requiring them to report illness or stay home.
What Inspectors Found
The allergen violation is among the most immediately dangerous on the list. Inspectors found no demonstrated allergen awareness at the location, meaning staff could not confirm they understood how to handle requests from customers with food allergies or prevent cross-contact between allergen-containing and allergen-free ingredients.
The chemical storage citation is its own category of risk. Toxic cleaning agents or other chemicals found near food preparation areas can contaminate food directly, with no visible sign that anything is wrong.
Inspectors also cited the location for food contact surfaces that had not been properly cleaned or sanitized, and for improper use of time as a public health control. When a restaurant uses time rather than temperature to keep food safe, it must follow strict protocols about how long food can remain in the danger zone between 41 and 135 degrees. Records show those protocols were not being followed.
The intermediate violations added further layers of concern. Inspectors documented improper sewage or wastewater disposal, multi-use utensils that had not been properly cleaned, inadequate ventilation and lighting, improper use of wiping cloths, and inadequate or improperly maintained toilet facilities.
What These Violations Mean
The absence of an employee health policy is not a paperwork problem. Without a written policy requiring sick workers to report illness or stay off food preparation, a single employee with Norovirus can expose dozens of customers in a single shift. Norovirus accounts for roughly half of all foodborne illness outbreaks in the United States each year.
The allergen citation is equally direct in its consequences. Allergic reactions to food send approximately 30,000 Americans to emergency rooms annually and cause deaths. A staff that cannot demonstrate allergen awareness at a pizza restaurant, where cheese, gluten, and other common allergens are present in nearly every product, creates a documented hazard for any customer who relies on staff guidance.
Improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, the kind of cutting boards, prep tables, and equipment that touch food throughout the day, are one of the primary routes by which bacteria like Salmonella and E. coli move from raw ingredients to finished food. The biofilm that develops on improperly cleaned multi-use utensils can protect bacteria from routine cleaning attempts, making the problem compound over time.
The sewage disposal violation is the most acute of the intermediate citations. Improper wastewater disposal can introduce fecal contamination into the facility environment, and fecal contamination is the transmission route for some of the most severe foodborne pathogens, including E. coli O157:H7.
The Longer Record
The September 2026 inspection was not an outlier. State records show the University Boulevard location has been inspected 22 times and has accumulated 212 total violations across its history.
The most recent prior inspection, in October 2025, found two high-severity violations. The inspection before that, in September 2024, found none. But go back further and the pattern is harder to dismiss: eight high-severity violations in July 2022, six in October 2021, three in July 2020. The location has never gone more than a few inspection cycles without accumulating serious citations.
The facility was emergency-closed once before, in December 2019, after inspectors found roach activity. It reopened three days later, on December 16, 2019.
Open for Business
Seven high-severity violations and five intermediate citations is a significant single-inspection total. The location's prior emergency closure, its 212 cumulative violations across 22 inspections, and the specific nature of this month's findings, including chemicals near food, no allergen protocols, and unsanitized food contact surfaces, put the September 1 visit in a category that historically triggers closure orders at other facilities across the state.
The Hungry Howie's at 5613 University Blvd W was not closed. It remained open after the inspection.
