JACKSONVILLE, FL. A Bartram Park bakery racked up 13 high-severity violations in a single inspection this week, more than any other facility in Duval County during the period of May 19 through May 25, with inspectors citing food from unapproved sources, no employee health policy, and failures in parasite destruction procedures that apply specifically to raw fish.
Dough Show on Bartram Park Boulevard drew citations across nearly every critical category state inspectors track. The violations included the person in charge not present or not performing duties, employees not reporting symptoms of illness, improper hand and arm washing technique, food in poor condition or adulterated, and inadequate shell stock identification records. Parasite destruction procedures were also flagged, meaning the facility did not demonstrate that fish served raw or undercooked had been properly frozen to kill parasites such as Anisakis or tapeworm.
Thirteen high-severity citations in a single visit is a significant total. Four additional intermediate violations were also recorded.
What Inspectors Found Across the City
Hunan Wok on Beach Boulevard followed with nine high-severity violations. Inspectors cited no employee health policy, employees not reporting illness symptoms, inadequate handwashing facilities, improper handwashing technique, food from unapproved or unknown sources, inadequate shell stock records, food contact surfaces not properly cleaned or sanitized, and time used improperly as a public health control.
That last violation is particularly notable. When a facility uses time rather than temperature to keep food safe, it must follow a strict written plan and discard food at the end of the designated window. Inspectors determined Hunan Wok was not doing that correctly.
Hiro Japanese Restaurant on Baymeadows Road drew six high-severity violations, including the person in charge not performing duties, inadequate handwashing facilities, improper handwashing technique, inadequate shell stock records, food contact surfaces not properly cleaned, and toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled. Inspectors also cited improperly cleaned multi-use utensils and inadequate ventilation and lighting.
Hibachi Express on University Boulevard West matched Hiro with six high-severity violations. Those included inadequate handwashing by food employees, food from unapproved sources, inadequate shell stock records, food contact surfaces not properly cleaned, time used improperly as a public health control, and toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled.
Tulua Bistro on North Main Street drew five high-severity violations, including employees not reporting illness symptoms, improper handwashing technique, food contact surfaces not properly cleaned, and two separate chemical storage violations: toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled, and toxic substances improperly identified, stored, or used. Those are distinct citations, meaning inspectors found more than one category of chemical hazard on the premises.
Jumpin Jax House of Food on Belfort Road also drew five high-severity violations, including no employee health policy, employees not reporting illness symptoms, food contact surfaces not properly cleaned, no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods, and toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled.
Deercreek Country Club on McLaurin Road North was cited for the person in charge not present or not performing duties, inadequate handwashing by food employees, inadequate handwashing facilities, and food not cooked to required minimum temperature. That cooking temperature violation is direct: Salmonella in poultry survives below 165 degrees Fahrenheit, and inspectors determined food at this facility did not reach required minimums.
Melting Pot on Gate Parkway drew four high-severity violations including no employee health policy, food contact surfaces not properly cleaned, food not cooked to required minimum temperature, and toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled.
Mission BBQ on Blanding Boulevard drew three high-severity violations, including parasite destruction procedures not followed, food not cooked to required minimum temperature, and toxic substances improperly identified, stored, or used. A barbecue restaurant flagged for both parasite destruction failures and undercooking in the same visit is a combination inspectors treat as serious.
Centurion Cafe and Grill on Centurion Parkway North was cited for no employee health policy, improper handwashing technique, and food contact surfaces not properly cleaned. KFC on North Main Street drew two high-severity violations, including no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods and toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled, alongside an intermediate citation for improper sewage or wastewater disposal.
Veterans United Craft Brewery on Western Way drew two high-severity violations: inadequate handwashing by food employees and no allergen awareness demonstrated. The allergen citation means staff could not show they understood how to prevent cross-contact with the 14 major allergens or communicate allergen information to customers accurately.
Sushi Q Japanese Restaurant on Gate Parkway drew one high-severity violation, the person in charge not present or not performing duties.
What These Violations Mean
The employee illness violations documented this week at Dough Show, Hunan Wok, Tulua Bistro, and Jumpin Jax House of Food represent one of the most direct disease transmission risks in food service. Without a written health policy, workers who are sick with Norovirus or Salmonella have no formal guidance telling them to stay home or report symptoms to a manager. Norovirus alone accounts for an estimated 20 million illnesses in the United States each year, and food workers are a primary transmission route.
Handwashing failures appeared at more facilities this week than any other single violation category. Hiro Japanese Restaurant, Hibachi Express, Hunan Wok, Tulua Bistro, Centurion Cafe and Grill, Deercreek Country Club, and Veterans United Craft Brewery were all cited for some form of handwashing deficiency, whether inadequate facilities, improper technique, or failure to wash at all. Improper technique is not the same as not washing: it means a worker made an attempt but left pathogens on their hands because the method was wrong.
The food sourcing violations at Dough Show, Hunan Wok, and Hibachi Express carry a specific traceability risk. When food arrives from unapproved or unknown sources, it has bypassed the USDA and FDA inspection systems. If a customer gets sick, investigators cannot trace the product back to a supplier, a farm, or a processing facility. The outbreak investigation stops before it starts.
Parasite destruction failures at Dough Show and Mission BBQ apply when facilities serve fish raw or undercooked, as sushi and sashimi operations commonly do. Proper freezing at specific temperatures for specific durations is required to kill parasites including Anisakis, which can cause severe abdominal pain and requires surgical removal in serious cases. An inspector who cannot verify that protocol was followed treats it as a high-severity violation.
The Longer Record
Hiro Japanese Restaurant on Baymeadows Road has the longest inspection history of any facility on this week's list, with 33 prior inspections on record. Six high-severity violations in this week's visit, including inadequate handwashing facilities and improperly stored toxic chemicals, suggest that accumulated inspection history has not translated into consistent compliance.
Deercreek Country Club has 30 prior inspections on record. This week's citation for food not cooked to required minimum temperature is among the most direct pathogen survival risks inspectors document, and it appeared here alongside a person-in-charge failure and inadequate handwashing facilities.
Dough Show, despite its 13 high-severity violations this week, has 27 prior inspections on record, as does Mission BBQ. Hunan Wok has 25. These are not new facilities unfamiliar with state standards. They have been inspected repeatedly.
Tulua Bistro and Jumpin Jax House of Food each have only 9 prior inspections on record, making them among the newest facilities on this list. Both drew five high-severity violations each in a single week. Tulua Bistro's two separate chemical storage citations and Jumpin Jax's combination of no health policy, illness reporting failures, and improperly stored chemicals represent serious early-stage compliance problems.
Veterans United Craft Brewery has just 6 prior inspections on record. Its allergen awareness citation this week means customers with food allergies who visited the brewery during the inspection period had no assurance that staff understood how to prevent cross-contact or communicate ingredient risks accurately.