JACKSONVILLE, FL. Inspectors visiting Famous Amos on N. Main Street the week of October 9 found a facility with no functioning employee health policy, no proper handwashing technique in use, inadequate handwashing infrastructure, and shellfish with no identification records on file, among 12 high-severity violations in a single inspection.
That tally was the highest of any restaurant cited across Jacksonville during the week. Fourteen other facilities also drew high-severity violations during the same seven days.
The Violations
Fuji 3 on San Jose Boulevard was the second-worst performer of the week, drawing 10 high-severity citations. Inspectors documented food from an unapproved or unknown source at the sushi restaurant, alongside inadequate handwashing facilities, employees not reporting illness symptoms, and shellfish with no identification records.
Subway on Southside Boulevard accumulated 8 high-severity violations, a number that stands out for a national chain with standardized training protocols. Inspectors cited the location for food not cooked to the required minimum temperature, toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled, no allergen awareness demonstrated, and no consumer advisory posted for raw or undercooked foods.
Tru by Hilton on Perimeter Industrial Parkway West drew 7 high-severity citations, including food not cooked to the required minimum temperature and improper sewage or wastewater disposal. Inspectors also flagged toxic substances improperly identified, stored, or used, and found no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods.
Yashi Sushi on Deer Lake Drive West was cited for 7 high-severity violations, with one of the more specific concerns being parasite destruction procedures not followed. At a sushi restaurant serving raw fish, that violation means inspectors found no evidence that fish was being properly frozen at temperatures required to kill parasites before it reached customers.
Steak 'N Shake #583 on San Jose Boulevard also drew 7 high-severity citations. The list included a person in charge not present or not performing duties, employees not reporting illness symptoms, no allergen awareness demonstrated, and improper sewage or wastewater disposal.
Jax Fish and Chicken Always Fresh on Merrill Road matched that count with 7 high-severity violations of its own, including food not cooked to the required minimum temperature, parasite destruction procedures not followed, and inadequate handwashing by food employees.
Purple Roots on Southside Boulevard drew 6 high-severity violations, including food from an unapproved or unknown source, food in poor condition or adulterated, and parasite destruction procedures not followed. Inspectors also cited the facility for improper sewage or wastewater disposal.
Uptown Market and Deli on N. Main Street was cited for 6 high-severity violations, including food from an unapproved source, food contact surfaces not properly cleaned or sanitized, and toxic chemicals improperly stored. Inspectors also noted improper sewage or wastewater disposal and inadequate ventilation.
Starving Like Marvin #2 on W. Ashley Street rounded out the six-violation tier. Inspectors found inadequate handwashing facilities, improper handwashing technique in use, no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods, no allergen awareness demonstrated, and inadequate toilet facilities.
Jax Fish Shrimp and Chicken on Edgewood Avenue drew one high-severity citation for a person in charge not present or not performing duties, alongside an intermediate violation for improper sewage or wastewater disposal.
What These Violations Mean
The employee illness reporting failure that appeared across Famous Amos, Fuji 3, Tru by Hilton, Yashi Sushi, Steak 'N Shake #583, Jax Fish and Chicken Always Fresh, Purple Roots, Uptown Market and Deli, Starving Like Marvin #2, and 904 Deli is not a paperwork problem. A food worker sick with Norovirus who handles ready-to-eat food can infect dozens of customers before a single complaint is filed. Without a written health policy requiring employees to report symptoms, there is no system to intercept that worker before they reach the prep line.
The food-from-unapproved-source citations at Fuji 3, Purple Roots, and Uptown Market and Deli carry a specific consequence that most violations do not. When food enters a facility from an uninspected or unknown supplier, there is no chain of custody. If a customer gets sick and investigators need to trace the contamination back to its origin, the trail ends at the restaurant's receiving dock.
Parasite destruction failures at Yashi Sushi, Jax Fish and Chicken Always Fresh, and Purple Roots describe a gap in the kill step for raw fish service. Parasites including Anisakis can survive in fish that has not been frozen to the temperatures required by state code. At a sushi restaurant, the customer consuming that fish has no way of knowing the required freezing protocol was skipped.
The handwashing violations documented at Famous Amos, Fuji 3, Subway, Jax Fish and Chicken Always Fresh, and Starving Like Marvin #2 span two distinct problems. Some locations lacked adequate handwashing facilities, meaning the physical infrastructure to wash hands properly was not in place. Others had the sinks but documented improper technique, meaning employees were washing hands in ways that leave pathogens behind. Both failures produce the same result at the point of food contact.
The Longer Record
Kazu Sushi Burrito on W. Adams Street carries the longest inspection history of any facility in this week's data, with 44 prior inspections on record. This week's citation was a single intermediate violation for reusing single-use items. That relatively clean result across a long inspection history stands in contrast to several facilities with comparable or shorter records that accumulated far more serious findings this week.
Fuji 3 has 38 prior inspections on record and this week drew 10 high-severity violations. Steak 'N Shake #583 has 36 prior inspections and drew 7 high-severity citations, including sewage disposal problems. Both facilities have been inspected enough times that the violations documented this week cannot be attributed to unfamiliarity with state standards.
Famous Amos on N. Main has 31 prior inspections behind it. Yashi Sushi has 30. Jax Fish and Chicken Always Fresh has 29. All three drew 7 or more high-severity violations this week. The inspection history at each location means inspectors have visited repeatedly, and the violations found in October 2026 reflect conditions that state oversight has not resolved.
Tru by Hilton is the newest facility in this week's data with only 6 prior inspections on record, yet it drew 7 high-severity violations including improper sewage disposal, food not cooked to required minimum temperature, and toxic substances improperly stored. A hotel food operation accumulating that profile in its first handful of inspections is a different kind of concern than a decades-old diner still fighting the same citations.
The Shorter List
Not every facility inspected this week drew serious findings. Hardee's on San Jose Boulevard, with 28 prior inspections on record, drew a single intermediate violation for single-use items being improperly reused. 904 Deli on Shad Road drew one high-severity citation for employees not reporting illness symptoms but no intermediate violations. La Michoacana Al Natural on Beach Boulevard was cited for one high-severity violation involving food in poor condition or mislabeled.
Yashi Sushi on Deer Lake Drive West carries 30 prior inspections and this week had no consumer advisory posted for the raw fish it serves, a violation that leaves customers with no written notice that what they are eating has not been fully cooked.
