JACKSONVILLE, FL. State inspectors cited Dough Show at 12681 Bartram Park Blvd. for 13 high-severity violations during the week of May 18, the highest total among 15 Jacksonville-area restaurants flagged that week, including citations for food obtained from unapproved or unknown sources, failure to follow parasite destruction procedures, and no written employee health policy on the premises.
That combination, food from suppliers outside the regulated supply chain, no protocol for keeping sick workers out of the kitchen, and no verification that raw fish was properly treated before serving, represents some of the most serious failure categories inspectors track.
The Violations
Dough Show's 13 high-severity citations included a finding that the person in charge was not present or not performing duties, a violation that inspectors treat as a root-cause problem. Also cited: employees not reporting symptoms of illness, improper handwashing technique, inadequate shell stock identification records, and food described as being in poor condition, mislabeled, or adulterated.
Hunan Wok at 5800 Beach Blvd. drew nine high-severity violations, including no employee health policy, employees not reporting illness symptoms, inadequate handwashing facilities, food from unapproved sources, shellfish without proper traceability records, food contact surfaces not properly cleaned or sanitized, and improper use of time as a public health control. Two intermediate violations accompanied those findings.
Three restaurants tied with six high-severity violations each. La Nopalera Mexican Restaurant at 4530 St. Johns Ave. was cited for toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled, no employee health policy, improper handwashing technique, food contact surfaces not properly cleaned, no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods, and failure to follow required procedures for specialized processes. Inspectors also flagged improper sewage or wastewater disposal and improperly cleaned multi-use utensils.
Hiro Japanese Restaurant at 10920 Baymeadows Rd. received six high-severity citations, including no person in charge, inadequate handwashing facilities, improper handwashing technique, no shellfish traceability records, unclean food contact surfaces, and toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled.
Hibachi Express at 5921 University Blvd. W also reached six high-severity violations, with inspectors noting inadequate handwashing by food employees, food from unapproved sources, no shellfish identification records, unclean food contact surfaces, improper use of time as a public health control, and toxic chemicals improperly stored.
More Restaurants Flagged Across the City
5th Element Taste of India at 9551 Baymeadows Rd. was cited for five high-severity violations, including no person in charge, employees not reporting illness symptoms, inadequate handwashing facilities, improper handwashing technique, and unclean food contact surfaces. Inspectors also noted single-use items being improperly reused.
Tulua Bistro at 1703 N. Main St. received five high-severity violations: employees not reporting illness symptoms, improper handwashing technique, unclean food contact surfaces, toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled, and toxic substances improperly identified, stored, or used. That last pair, two separate chemical-handling citations in a single inspection, is uncommon.
Jumpin Jax House of Food at 4887 Belfort Rd. was cited for five high-severity violations, including no employee health policy, employees not reporting illness symptoms, unclean food contact surfaces, no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods, and improperly stored toxic chemicals.
Deercreek Country Club at 7816 McLaurin Rd. N drew four high-severity violations, including no person in charge, inadequate handwashing by food employees, inadequate handwashing facilities, and food not cooked to the required minimum temperature. Undercooked food was also cited at Melting Pot at 7860 Gate Pkwy., which received four high-severity violations alongside citations for no employee health policy, unclean food contact surfaces, and toxic chemicals improperly stored.
Mission BBQ Orange Park at 8440 Blanding Blvd. was cited for three high-severity violations: parasite destruction procedures not followed, food not cooked to required minimum temperature, and toxic substances improperly identified, stored, or used. A barbecue restaurant with both an undercooking citation and a failure to follow parasite destruction protocols in the same inspection is a notable combination.
Centurion Cafe and Grill at 10201 Centurion Pkwy. N received three high-severity violations for no employee health policy, improper handwashing technique, and unclean food contact surfaces.
Sushi Q Japanese Restaurant at 5010 Gate Parkway and Mikata Buffet at 8720 Baymeadows Rd. each received one high-severity violation. Sushi Q was cited for no person in charge. Mikata Buffet was cited for no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods, a particularly significant finding at a buffet where raw or lightly cooked items may be served without clear labeling.
McDonald's at 1001 N. University Blvd. received no high-severity violations, with inspectors noting two intermediate-level citations for improper sewage or wastewater disposal and improper sanitizing solution or procedures.
What These Violations Mean
The most widespread high-severity finding this week, appearing at Dough Show, Hunan Wok, Hibachi Express, and three other facilities, was food from unapproved or unknown sources. When food enters a kitchen from outside the regulated supply chain, there is no paper trail. If a customer becomes ill, investigators cannot trace the product back to a farm, a processor, or a distributor. That gap is not a paperwork problem. It is a public health investigation dead end.
The shellfish traceability citations at Dough Show, Hunan Wok, Hiro Japanese Restaurant, and Hibachi Express carry a specific added risk. Oysters, clams, and mussels are frequently consumed raw or lightly cooked. They are filter feeders that concentrate bacteria and viruses from surrounding water. Without shellfish tags on file, a restaurant cannot identify where a batch came from if a customer reports illness, and neither can inspectors.
Undercooking citations at Deercreek Country Club, Melting Pot, and Mission BBQ Orange Park point to a direct pathogen survival risk. Salmonella in poultry survives below 165 degrees Fahrenheit. A piece of chicken pulled from the heat too early is not a preference issue. It is a delivery mechanism for a bacterial illness that hospitalizes more than a million Americans each year.
The toxic chemical citations at La Nopalera, Hiro, Hibachi Express, Tulua Bistro, Jumpin Jax, Melting Pot, and Mission BBQ represent a category that often goes unnoticed in public discussion of restaurant safety. Cleaning agents and sanitizers stored near food, or stored in unlabeled containers, can contaminate a meal directly. Tulua Bistro received two separate chemical-handling citations in a single visit, one for improperly stored or labeled toxic chemicals and one for toxic substances improperly identified, stored, or used.
The Longer Record
Two facilities in this week's inspection set carry histories that extend well beyond a single bad week. 5th Element Taste of India has 59 prior inspections on record, the longest history of any facility flagged this week. La Nopalera Mexican Restaurant has 55. Both facilities were cited this week for violations in categories, employee health policy, handwashing, and food contact surface sanitation, that are foundational to basic kitchen safety. Accumulating that many inspections without resolving recurring fundamental violations is a pattern, not an anomaly.
Dough Show, which led the week with 13 high-severity violations, has 27 prior inspections on record. Hunan Wok, second with nine, has 25. Neither facility is new. Both have had ample opportunity to address the categories that reappeared this week.
Tulua Bistro and Jumpin Jax House of Food each show only nine prior inspections, making them among the newer facilities in this week's data. Both were cited for five high-severity violations. Tulua Bistro's two separate chemical-handling citations, on only its ninth inspection on record, stands as the most acute unresolved finding from the week.