JACKSONVILLE, FL. State inspectors emergency-closed the Dunkin' and Baskin-Robbins at 5150 University Blvd W on May 27 after finding fly activity inside the facility, one of three high-severity violations cited that day that also included food in poor condition and food contact surfaces not properly cleaned or sanitized.
The closure was the most acute finding in a week that produced high-severity violations at 13 Jacksonville restaurants, from a downtown sushi counter to a chain steakhouse on Roosevelt Boulevard.
The Lead Offenders
Kazu Sushi Burrito at 117 W Adams St drew the most high-severity citations of any facility this week, eight in total, along with six intermediate violations. Inspectors found that the restaurant was not following parasite destruction procedures, a critical step required when serving raw fish. They also cited inadequate shell stock identification records, meaning shellfish on the premises could not be traced to their harvest source.
The violations did not stop there. Inspectors flagged improper hand and arm washing technique, food contact surfaces not properly cleaned or sanitized, toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled, no consumer advisory posted for raw or undercooked foods, no allergen awareness demonstrated, and an employee not reporting symptoms of illness.
Tepeyolot Cerveceria at 2130 Kings Ave recorded seven high-severity violations. The person in charge was either absent or not performing required oversight duties during the inspection. Inspectors also found that food was not cooked to required minimum temperatures, a direct pathway for pathogens like Salmonella to survive and reach a customer's plate. An intermediate violation for improper sewage or wastewater disposal was also cited.
Town Hall at 2012 San Marco Blvd drew six high-severity citations, including inadequate handwashing facilities, food not cooked to required minimum temperature, and toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled. Inspectors also found that time was not being used properly as a public health control, a violation that means food was allowed to remain in the bacterial growth danger zone without adequate tracking.
China Moon at 8299 W Beaver St matched Town Hall's six high-severity citations. The most serious among them: food from an unapproved or unknown source. That violation means inspectors could not confirm the food had passed federal safety inspections. Inadequate handwashing facilities, improper handwashing technique, unsanitized food contact surfaces, toxic chemicals improperly stored, and no consumer advisory for raw foods rounded out the list.
Violations Across the Rest of the Week
Daruma Japanese Steak House at 13799 Beach Blvd was cited for four high-severity violations, including inadequate shell stock records, no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods, improper handwashing technique, and toxic substances improperly identified, stored, or used.
El Sol de Mexico at 5024 Blanding Blvd also drew four high-severity violations. Inspectors noted the person in charge was not present or not performing duties, and that the facility had no employee health policy or an inadequate one. Parasite destruction procedures were not being followed, and handwashing technique was cited as improper.
Loop at 8221 Southside Blvd received four high-severity violations with no intermediate violations alongside them. Inspectors cited food from an unapproved or unknown source, inadequate handwashing facilities, inadequate shell stock identification records, and food contact surfaces not properly cleaned or sanitized.
Dough Show at 12681 Bartram Park Blvd drew three high-severity violations: an employee not reporting symptoms of illness, food not cooked to required minimum temperature, and no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods.
China Joy at 1650 Margaret St was cited for an employee not reporting symptoms of illness, food from an unapproved or unknown source, and food contact surfaces not properly cleaned or sanitized.
LongHorn Steakhouse at 4401 Roosevelt Blvd drew three high-severity violations, two of them involving chemicals. Inspectors cited both toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled and toxic substances improperly identified, stored, or used, along with an employee not reporting symptoms of illness.
Einstein Bros Bagels at 13546 Beach Blvd was cited for food not cooked to required minimum temperature and toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled. Local at 4578 San Jose Blvd received two high-severity citations: improper handwashing technique and toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled.
What These Violations Mean
The parasite destruction failure cited at Kazu Sushi Burrito, El Sol de Mexico, and the Dunkin' location carries a specific biological risk. When fish or other susceptible proteins are not frozen or cooked to required parameters, parasites including Anisakis and tapeworm can survive and infect customers who eat them. At a sushi operation like Kazu, where raw fish is central to the menu, this is not a technical paperwork issue.
The food-from-unapproved-source violation at China Moon, Loop, and China Joy means something direct: if a customer becomes sick, there is no supply chain to trace. Food from approved sources carries federal inspection records that allow health officials to identify a contaminated batch and pull it from other locations. Food from unknown sources has no such trail. Listeria, Salmonella, and E. coli are among the pathogens that federal inspections are designed to catch before food reaches a kitchen.
Employee illness reporting failures, cited at Kazu Sushi Burrito, Town Hall, Dough Show, China Joy, and LongHorn Steakhouse, represent the single most direct route from a sick worker to a sick customer. Norovirus, which causes the majority of foodborne illness outbreaks in restaurant settings, spreads through exactly this gap. A worker who does not report symptoms, or whose employer has no policy requiring them to do so, can contaminate food during preparation before anyone knows there is a problem.
The sewage disposal violation at Tepeyolot Cerveceria sits in a different category from most of the week's citations. Improper sewage or wastewater disposal creates a risk of fecal contamination spreading through a facility, not just through a single food item or surface. That violation, combined with the absence of adequate managerial oversight during the inspection, suggests a facility where basic infrastructure and basic supervision were both absent on the same day.
The Longer Record
El Sol de Mexico carries the longest inspection history of any facility in this week's data, with 44 prior inspections on record. That volume of state oversight, accumulated over years of operation, makes this week's four high-severity violations, including no employee health policy and no person in charge present, harder to frame as an anomaly.
Daruma Japanese Steak House and China Joy each have 35 prior inspections on record. Kazu Sushi Burrito, which led the week with eight high-severity violations, has 37. For all three, this week's findings are not early signals from a new operation finding its footing. They are citations against facilities that have been inspected dozens of times.
Tepeyolot Cerveceria, by contrast, has only 13 prior inspections on record, the fewest of any facility in this week's data. Seven high-severity violations in what is a relatively short inspection history, including a sewage disposal problem and absent managerial oversight, suggests a facility that has accumulated serious citations quickly.
Dough Show at 29 prior inspections and China Moon at 29 are both well past the point where the violations this week could be attributed to inexperience with state requirements. Dough Show's single-use items being improperly reused, alongside an employee illness reporting failure, reflects choices rather than oversight.
The Dunkin' and Baskin-Robbins on University Boulevard was emergency-closed on the first day of the inspection week. As of the data available, no reinspection result has been recorded in the public file.