ST JOHNS, FL. A state inspector walked into Keke's Breakfast Cafe on Durbin Pavilion Drive on May 14 and documented that food was not being cooked to required minimum temperatures, that toxic substances were improperly stored, and that no consumer advisory existed for raw or undercooked items on the menu. Six of the seven violations recorded that day were high-severity. The restaurant was not closed.
What Inspectors Found
The undercooking violation is the most direct threat to anyone who ate there. Salmonella in poultry survives below 165 degrees Fahrenheit. A plate of chicken or eggs pulled from the heat before reaching the required temperature is a plate that can still make someone seriously ill.
The toxic substances violation sits alongside it in severity. Chemicals stored or used improperly near food preparation areas create an immediate risk of contamination, not a theoretical one.
The missing consumer advisory compounds both. State rules require that menus flag raw or undercooked items so that customers, particularly elderly diners, pregnant women, and people with weakened immune systems, can make an informed choice. At Keke's on May 14, no such warning existed.
The time-as-public-health-control violation means food was allowed to sit in the temperature danger zone, between 41 and 135 degrees Fahrenheit, longer than permitted without the temperature monitoring required to make that practice safe. When temperature isn't being tracked, the clock on bacterial growth isn't being tracked either.
The parasite destruction violation indicates that required freezing or cooking protocols for fish, pork, or wild game were not being followed. Without them, parasites including Anisakis in fish and Trichinella in pork can survive to the plate.
The shellfish traceability violation means records confirming the source and harvest dates of oysters, clams, or mussels were inadequate. If a customer becomes ill after eating raw shellfish, investigators need those records to trace the contamination. Without them, the chain of evidence breaks.
What These Violations Mean
The combination of undercooking and no consumer advisory is particularly acute at a breakfast cafe. Eggs prepared to order, runny yolks, hollandaise sauce, and lightly cooked meats are standard menu items at restaurants like Keke's. Every one of those preparations carries elevated Salmonella risk if cooking temperatures are not being met and if customers are not warned.
The time abuse violation adds a second layer. When a kitchen uses time rather than temperature to control food safety, the food is intentionally allowed to warm above 41 degrees for a defined window, typically four hours, before being discarded. That practice is permitted under state rules but only with strict documentation. Without proper records, there is no way to confirm that food sat in the danger zone for two hours rather than six.
The toxic substances violation is categorically different from a temperature problem. Chemicals near or above food prep surfaces do not require a pathogen to cause harm. Contamination can be invisible and immediate.
Reusing single-use items, the one intermediate violation on the May 14 report, introduces cross-contamination pathways that proper single-use protocols are designed to eliminate. Gloves, cups, and utensils rated for one use are not designed to be sanitized between uses.
The Longer Record
The May 14 inspection was not an outlier. State records show 19 inspections on file for the Durbin Pavilion location, with 133 total violations documented across that history.
The most recent prior inspection, in December 2025, found three high-severity violations. The inspection before that, in June 2025, found five high-severity violations. In January 2025, inspectors visited twice within two days: the first visit produced five high-severity and four intermediate violations, and a follow-up visit two days later found zero high-severity violations, suggesting a rapid correction that did not hold through subsequent inspections.
The August 2024 inspection produced seven high-severity violations. The July 2023 inspection produced nine. Every inspection in the record except one, a March 2024 visit that found a single high-severity violation, has included multiple high-severity citations.
The facility has never been emergency-closed. That is also a fact in the record.
Still Open
State inspectors have the authority to order an emergency closure when violations pose an immediate threat to public health. On May 14, six high-severity violations at the St. Johns Keke's did not meet that threshold, at least not in the judgment of the inspector on site that day.
The restaurant on Durbin Pavilion Drive was open for business when the inspection ended.