JACKSONVILLE, FL. Island Wing Grill and Bar on Southside Boulevard accumulated 12 high-severity violations in a single inspection during the week of September 16, more than any other Duval County facility inspected that week, with inspectors citing failures in shellfish traceability, parasite destruction procedures, and employee illness reporting simultaneously.
The 12 high-severity citations included a finding that no person in charge was present or performing supervisory duties, that employees were not reporting symptoms of illness, and that handwashing was both inadequate in frequency and improper in technique. Inspectors also flagged food in poor condition and cited the restaurant for failing to maintain shell stock identification records, a requirement that exists specifically so health officials can trace the origin of oysters, clams, or mussels if customers become sick.
Parasite destruction procedures were also not followed. That citation, which appeared at Island Wing Grill and at three other facilities this week, means fish served raw or undercooked was not subjected to the freezing protocols required to kill parasites including Anisakis and tapeworm larvae.
The Week's Findings Across Duval County
Rustic 21 at 3980 Southside Boulevard drew 11 high-severity citations, including a finding that food was not cooked to the required minimum temperature. That violation, alongside improperly cleaned food contact surfaces and failures in both employee health policy and illness reporting, gave the restaurant one of the most layered risk profiles of the week.
Krystal Restaurant on Normandy Boulevard was cited for 10 high-severity violations, among them food sourced from an unapproved or unknown supplier. That citation is distinct from the others: it means the food itself may never have passed federal inspection, with no traceability if a customer becomes ill. Krystal also drew citations for food not cooked to minimum temperature and for failing to post a consumer advisory for raw or undercooked items.
Dick's Wings and Grill on Old St. Augustine Road was cited for 8 high-severity violations including two separate chemical storage failures, one for toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled and one for toxic substances improperly identified, stored, or used. The restaurant also had no allergen awareness demonstrated, a violation inspectors noted alongside the absence of a consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods.
Banh Mi and Pho Express on Saint John Bluff Road drew 7 high-severity citations and an intermediate violation for improper sewage or wastewater disposal. The combination of improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, improperly stored chemicals, and the sewage citation places contamination risk at multiple points in the facility simultaneously.
Fancy Sushi on Collins Road was cited for 7 high-severity violations including food from an unapproved or unknown source, no person in charge present, and no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked items. A sushi restaurant serving raw fish without a consumer advisory and without documented sourcing is a specific and compounded concern.
Bonos Pit Bar-B-Q on Skinner Lake Drive drew 6 high-severity violations including both a management absence finding and a toxic chemical storage failure, alongside an intermediate citation for improper sewage disposal. Aspendos Italian Cuisine on Argyle Forest Boulevard also received 6 high-severity citations, including food from an unapproved source and an intermediate finding for improper sewage disposal.
LongHorn Steakhouse on Airport Road was cited for 6 high-severity violations including food not cooked to minimum temperature and dual chemical storage failures. Jason's Deli on Southside Boulevard drew 5 high-severity violations including inadequate handwashing by food employees and improperly stored chemicals, alongside intermediate citations for sewage disposal, unclean multi-use utensils, and improperly reused single-use items.
JJ Sharks Fish and Chicken on St. Johns Bluff Road was cited for 5 high-severity violations including parasite destruction failures and no consumer advisory, along with an intermediate finding for improper sewage disposal. Karma Fine Indian Cuisine on Baymeadows Road received 5 high-severity citations, including no person in charge and no consumer advisory. China Lee on Beach Boulevard drew 5 high-severity violations including inadequate shellfish traceability records and improperly stored chemicals.
Latin Creations on St. Johns Bluff Road South and Nudo Vietnamese Cuisine on San Jose Boulevard each received fewer total violations but were both cited for employees not reporting symptoms of illness, a finding that carries outbreak-level risk regardless of a facility's overall violation count.
What These Violations Mean
The illness reporting failures documented this week at 12 of the 15 facilities are not paperwork problems. When a food worker with norovirus or salmonella handles food without reporting symptoms, every item that worker touches becomes a potential transmission vehicle. Norovirus is responsible for roughly 20 million cases of foodborne illness in the United States each year, and a single infected employee can expose dozens of customers in a single shift.
The parasite destruction failures at Island Wing Grill, Rustic 21, Banh Mi and Pho Express, and JJ Sharks Fish and Chicken represent a specific hazard for customers who order fish that is raw or lightly cooked. Anisakis larvae, which survive in undercooked fish, can embed in the stomach lining and cause severe abdominal pain requiring surgical removal. The required protocol, freezing fish to specific temperatures for specific durations before raw service, exists because cooking alone is not always the control being used.
The food-from-unapproved-source citations at Krystal, Fancy Sushi, and Aspendos Italian Cuisine carry a traceability consequence that goes beyond the individual meal. If a customer becomes ill, investigators need to trace the food back through a licensed supplier to identify whether the problem is isolated or part of a broader contamination event. Food from an unknown source breaks that chain entirely.
The chemical storage violations, documented at Dick's Wings, Banh Mi and Pho Express, Bonos Pit Bar-B-Q, Aspendos, LongHorn Steakhouse, Jason's Deli, JJ Sharks, Karma Fine Indian Cuisine, and China Lee, represent a direct poisoning risk when cleaning agents or pesticides are stored near or above food prep surfaces. Mislabeled chemicals create a separate hazard: a worker using the wrong product at the wrong concentration may not realize the error until a customer reports symptoms.
The Longer Record
LongHorn Steakhouse on Airport Road carries the longest inspection history of any facility in this week's data, with 52 prior inspections on record. Six high-severity violations at a location that has been inspected that many times suggests the findings are not a function of unfamiliarity with the inspection process.
Karma Fine Indian Cuisine has 47 prior inspections on record and drew 5 high-severity violations this week including a management absence finding. Latin Creations has 39 prior inspections and Banh Mi and Pho Express has 35, making both of those facilities among the more experienced in the dataset. JJ Sharks Fish and Chicken has 37 prior inspections and was still cited for parasite destruction failures and sewage disposal problems.
Rustic 21, with 21 prior inspections, and Fancy Sushi, with 25, are comparatively newer to the inspection record but each produced some of the week's most serious violation clusters. Rustic 21's 11 high-severity citations on inspection number 21 is a rate that outpaces many facilities with far longer histories.
China Lee on Beach Boulevard has 23 prior inspections on record. This week's visit produced 5 high-severity violations, including the shellfish traceability failure. The restaurant's shell stock records, which would identify the harvest location and date of any oysters, clams, or mussels served, were inadequate at the time of inspection.
