ROYAL PALM BEACH, FL. State inspectors visiting Koi Endless Gourmet Grill and Sushi on Okeechobee Boulevard on July 20 found food coming from unapproved or unknown sources, meaning some of what was being served to customers that day had bypassed USDA and FDA safety inspections entirely. The restaurant, which serves both cooked and raw seafood including sushi, was not closed.
Inspectors cited 10 high-severity violations and 2 intermediate violations during that single visit. The facility remained open after the inspection.
What Inspectors Found
The food sourcing violation is among the most serious a restaurant can receive. When food arrives outside the regulated supply chain, there is no inspection record, no traceability, and no way to identify the source if a customer becomes ill.
Koi also lacked adequate shellstock identification records. For a restaurant serving sushi and raw seafood, that is a direct gap in the traceability chain. If a customer fell ill from a contaminated oyster or clam, inspectors would have no records pointing to where that shellfish came from.
Toxic substances were found to be improperly identified, stored, or used. That violation carries a risk distinct from everything else on the list: it is not about bacteria or spoilage but about chemical contamination of food or surfaces that employees touch while preparing meals.
The handwashing picture was compounded by two separate citations. Inspectors found both inadequate handwashing facilities and improper handwashing technique. That combination means the infrastructure was insufficient and, even where it existed, employees were not using it correctly.
There was also no consumer advisory posted for raw or undercooked foods. At a sushi restaurant, where raw fish is a core menu item, that advisory exists specifically to warn elderly diners, pregnant women, young children, and immunocompromised customers that they face elevated risk.
What These Violations Mean
The combination of no employee health policy and employees not reporting illness symptoms is how multi-victim outbreaks begin. Norovirus, the most common cause of foodborne illness outbreaks in restaurants, spreads through a single infected food handler who does not know to stay home or does not feel compelled to report symptoms. At Koi, the July 20 inspection found both the policy was absent and the reporting was not happening.
Food contact surfaces that are not properly cleaned and sanitized become transfer points for whatever pathogen a prior food item introduced. At a sushi restaurant, where raw fish is prepared on the same surfaces used for other menu items, improperly sanitized cutting boards and prep surfaces are a direct route for cross-contamination.
The absence of an active person in charge amplifies every other violation on the list. CDC research shows establishments without active managerial oversight accumulate critical violations at roughly three times the rate of those with engaged management. At Koi on July 20, that oversight was not present, and the inspection record reflects what that absence produces.
Improperly stored or misidentified toxic substances create a risk that can materialize quickly. Cleaning chemicals stored near or above food prep surfaces, or unlabeled chemical containers, can result in direct contamination of food or equipment within a single shift.
The Longer Record
The July 20 inspection was not an isolated bad day. Koi has 31 inspections on record and 236 total violations documented across that history. The facility has never been emergency-closed.
The pattern of high-severity violations at Koi is consistent and recent. In January 2026, inspectors found 7 high-severity violations on January 14 and returned eight days later to find 4 more high-severity violations on January 22. In September 2025, a routine visit on September 3 produced 6 high-severity violations; a follow-up the next day found 1. In February 2025, a visit on February 13 produced 5 high-severity violations, with a follow-up on February 14 finding 2.
The only clean inspection in recent memory was September 6, 2024, when inspectors found zero high-severity and zero intermediate violations. That visit stands alone in the recent record.
The Pattern
What the history shows is a restaurant that clears an inspection, then accumulates serious violations again within months. The cycle has repeated across 2025 and into 2026, with high-severity counts ranging from 1 to 7 on any given visit before July 20.
July 20 produced the highest single-day count in the recent record: 10 high-severity violations at once, at a restaurant that serves raw fish to the public.
Koi Endless Gourmet Grill and Sushi remained open after that inspection.
