JACKSONVILLE, FL. Chow's Country Buffet on Southside Boulevard racked up 10 high-severity violations during the week of September 25, including food sourced from unapproved or unknown suppliers, shellfish with no traceability records, and food contact surfaces that inspectors found improperly cleaned and sanitized.
That tied the highest single-visit tally for the week, matched only by Salsas Mexican Restaurant at 13121 City Center Boulevard, where inspectors also counted 10 high-severity violations, including food cooked below required minimum temperatures and no responsible person in charge present during the visit.
The Violations
At Chow's, inspectors also flagged a missing employee health policy, workers not reporting illness symptoms, inadequate handwashing facilities, and improper hand-washing technique. The buffet's violations span nearly every category of direct disease transmission risk.
Saigon Coffee and Sandwiches at 10150 Beach Boulevard also drew 10 high-severity violations, making it the third restaurant this week to hit that count. Inspectors there cited food from unapproved sources, parasite destruction procedures not followed for fish, no person in charge present, and food contact surfaces not properly cleaned.
Ya Habibi Slice and Spice on St. Augustine Road drew nine high-severity violations, including toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled, toxic substances improperly identified and used, and no consumer advisory posted for raw or undercooked foods. Inspectors also cited improper use of time as a public health control, meaning food was left in the temperature danger zone without any documented system for tracking how long it had been there.
Tunis Seafood Wings and Subs on Normandy Boulevard collected eight high-severity violations, including food from unapproved sources, shellfish with no identification records, no consumer advisory, and no demonstrated allergen awareness. A restaurant serving seafood without shellfish traceability records and without allergen protocols presents compounding risk for customers with shellfish allergies.
Max's Restaurant Jacksonville on University Boulevard North also drew eight high-severity violations, including food cooked below minimum required temperatures, toxic substances improperly stored and used, time as a public health control not properly applied, and no person in charge. The facility has only five prior inspections on record.
More Facilities, More Violations
Delicias Colombianas on Blanding Boulevard drew seven high-severity violations and five intermediate ones. Inspectors found food from unapproved sources, food not cooked to required minimum temperatures, no allergen awareness, and no consumer advisory. An intermediate violation for improper sewage or wastewater disposal added to the picture.
Cucinella's Brick Oven Pizza on Old Kings Road South also drew seven high-severity violations and five intermediate ones, including food not cooked to required temperatures, no allergen awareness demonstrated, and an intermediate violation for improper sewage or wastewater disposal.
Baran Cafe on St. Johns Bluff Road South drew seven high-severity violations, including food in poor condition or adulterated, parasite destruction procedures not followed, and toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled. Inspectors also noted multi-use utensils not properly cleaned.
Sake House at 1478 Riverplace Boulevard drew seven high-severity violations, including food from unapproved sources, inadequate handwashing facilities, improperly stored chemicals, and no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods. For a restaurant that likely serves raw fish, the absence of a consumer advisory is a direct gap in customer protection.
Tsaocaa at 10150 Beach Boulevard drew six high-severity violations and six intermediate ones. Inspectors cited parasite destruction procedures not followed, no consumer advisory, and improper sanitizing solution or procedures. Multi-use utensils were also found not properly cleaned.
Cross Creek on South Lane Avenue drew two high-severity violations: employees not reporting illness symptoms and no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods. Ruby Tuesday at Windsor Commons Court drew a single high-severity violation for employees not reporting illness symptoms. Super Tienda Latina y Restaurante on Toledo Road drew the same single violation. Hong Kong Station on Beach Boulevard drew one intermediate violation for improperly reusing single-use items.
What These Violations Mean
The most common high-severity violation across this week's inspections was employees not reporting illness symptoms, cited at 13 of the 15 facilities. This is not a paperwork problem. Norovirus, the most common cause of foodborne illness outbreaks in the United States, spreads directly from sick food handlers to customers through food preparation. A worker who comes in while symptomatic and prepares food at a buffet like Chow's Country Buffet, where dozens of customers eat from shared serving stations, can expose an entire dining room in a single shift.
Food from unapproved or unknown sources, cited at Chow's Country Buffet, Salsas Mexican Restaurant, Saigon Coffee and Sandwiches, Tunis Seafood Wings and Subs, Delicias Colombianas, and Sake House, means the food arrived without passing through USDA or FDA-regulated supply chains. If someone gets sick, there is no supplier record to trace. Shellfish traceability violations, cited at Chow's, Salsas, Tunis Seafood, Max's Restaurant, Cucinella's, and Tsaocaa, compound that risk because oysters, clams, and mussels are typically consumed raw or lightly cooked and are a leading vehicle for Vibrio and norovirus outbreaks.
Parasite destruction procedures not followed, cited at Saigon Coffee and Sandwiches, Baran Cafe, and Tsaocaa, means fish or other susceptible proteins were not frozen or cooked according to protocols that kill Anisakis roundworm, tapeworm, and other parasites. At a coffee and sandwich shop like Saigon Coffee and Sandwiches, that violation points to raw fish preparations without proper handling.
Toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled, cited at Ya Habibi Slice and Spice, Baran Cafe, and Sake House, is among the fastest-acting hazards on this list. Chemical contamination of food does not require hours of bacterial growth. A mislabeled spray bottle used on a food prep surface can cause acute poisoning within minutes of consumption.
The Longer Record
Chow's Country Buffet has 38 prior inspections on record. That volume of oversight, combined with 10 high-severity violations in a single visit this week, raises a direct question about whether the facility's compliance has improved across that history. Cross Creek on South Lane Avenue also has 38 prior inspections on record and drew high-severity violations this week for illness reporting and consumer advisory gaps.
Ruby Tuesday at Windsor Commons Court has 42 prior inspections on record, the highest count of any facility in this week's data. Its single high-severity violation this week, for illness reporting, is the lightest outcome among the 15, but 42 inspections is a long institutional history against which one violation still registers.
Cucinella's Brick Oven Pizza carries 32 prior inspections and Baran Cafe carries 36. Both drew seven high-severity violations this week, including sewage disposal and chemical storage issues respectively. Delicias Colombianas, with 30 prior inspections, drew both a sewage disposal violation and a food temperature violation in the same visit.
Max's Restaurant Jacksonville is the newest facility in the data, with only five prior inspections on record. It drew eight high-severity violations this week, including undercooking, toxic substance misuse, and no person in charge. A facility accumulating that volume of serious citations this early in its inspection history has not established a foundation of basic compliance.
Tsaocaa and Saigon Coffee and Sandwiches share the same strip at 10150 Beach Boulevard, and both drew 10 and 6 high-severity violations respectively this week. Whether those two adjacent kitchens share any supply chain or staffing practices is not reflected in the inspection records.
