ORLANDO, FL. A state inspector walked into Kavas Tacos + Tequila on International Drive on May 5, 2026, and found food not cooked to the required minimum temperature, a violation that means pathogens like Salmonella can survive in the finished dish and reach the customer's plate.
That was one of six high-severity violations documented that day. The restaurant was not closed.
What Inspectors Found
The cooking temperature violation is the most direct threat to a customer who ordered that day. Poultry requires an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit to kill Salmonella. Food that leaves the kitchen below that threshold carries the pathogen to the table.
The illness-reporting violation compounds that risk. When employees are not required to report symptoms, a sick worker can handle food through an entire shift without triggering any protocol to remove them from service.
Inspectors also found toxic substances improperly identified, stored, or used, a violation that creates the immediate risk of chemical contamination in food or on food-contact surfaces. That finding appeared alongside a separate citation for food contact surfaces not properly cleaned or sanitized, meaning surfaces that should eliminate contamination were themselves a transfer point.
The four intermediate violations added further layers. Improper sewage or wastewater disposal introduces the risk of fecal contamination spreading through the facility. Inspectors also cited multi-use utensils not properly cleaned, single-use items being reused, and inadequate ventilation and lighting.
What These Violations Mean
The cooking temperature violation and the illness-reporting failure are not independent problems. They form a chain. A symptomatic employee who is not required to report illness continues handling food. If that food is also not cooked to the temperature required to kill pathogens, the customer at the end of that chain has no protective barrier between them and a foodborne illness.
The hand-washing technique violation makes the chain longer. Improper technique means pathogens remain on hands even when a handwashing attempt is made. Combined with improperly sanitized food contact surfaces at Kavas, there are multiple points in the food preparation process where contamination can transfer without any corrective step intercepting it.
The time-as-public-health-control violation is less visible but equally serious. When a facility uses time rather than temperature to manage food safety, it is operating under a specific protocol that requires precise tracking. Inspectors found that protocol was not being followed properly at Kavas, meaning food was allowed to remain in the temperature danger zone, between 41 and 135 degrees Fahrenheit, without the controls in place to limit bacterial growth.
The sewage disposal violation stands apart from the others. Raw sewage carries pathogens that are entirely separate from the food-handling chain, and its presence in a food preparation environment creates a contamination risk that extends to surfaces, equipment, and anything else in the facility.
The Longer Record
The May 2026 inspection was the seventh on record for Kavas Tacos + Tequila. Across those seven inspections, state records show 81 total violations documented at the International Drive location.
The pattern is consistent. The November 2025 inspection produced 4 high-severity and 2 intermediate violations. The April 2025 inspection was the worst on record, with 10 high-severity and 5 intermediate violations. The October 2024 inspection logged 7 high and 2 intermediate. March 2024 produced the same count: 7 high and 2 intermediate. September 2023 brought 9 high-severity violations and 2 intermediate.
The only clean inspection in the facility's history was its first, in May 2023, when inspectors recorded zero high-severity and zero intermediate violations.
Every inspection since that first visit has produced high-severity citations. The May 2026 inspection is not an outlier or a new low. It is the sixth consecutive inspection with serious violations at this address.
The facility has never been emergency-closed.
The Longer Record in Context
Kavas Tacos + Tequila sits on International Drive, one of the highest-traffic tourist corridors in Florida. The customer base at any given meal service is largely made up of visitors who have no access to the inspection history of the restaurants they choose and no way to know that the kitchen they are ordering from has logged high-severity violations in six of its seven inspections.
State inspectors returned to the restaurant after each of those six violation-heavy visits. The violations continued.
After the May 5, 2026 inspection, with six high-severity violations on the books including undercooked food, an illness-reporting failure, improperly stored toxic substances, and contaminated food contact surfaces, Kavas Tacos + Tequila remained open for business.