MANATEE COUNTY, FL. A Palmetto sushi and Thai restaurant drew 8 high-severity violations in a single inspection last week, the worst tally in a county-wide sweep that found 12 facilities with multiple serious citations across 44 inspections at 42 locations between October 10 and October 16, 2026.
The Worst of the Week
At Hideko Sushi & Thai on 8th Avenue West in Palmetto, inspectors cited failures across nearly every layer of food safety practice. The violations included no person in charge present or performing duties, an employee not reporting symptoms of illness, improper handwashing technique, food contact surfaces not properly cleaned or sanitized, and toxic chemicals improperly stored and labeled near food prep areas.
Two separate chemical violations appeared in the same inspection: one for improperly stored or labeled toxic chemicals, and a second for toxic substances improperly identified, stored, or used. The restaurant was also cited for failing to use time as a public health control properly and for displaying no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods, a requirement critical for sushi menus where raw fish is standard.
Cortez Road and the Coast: A Cluster of Citations
Several of the week's worst performers sit along or near the Cortez Road corridor and the barrier island coastline, where tourist traffic runs high in October.
At Cortez Cafe on Cortez Road in the fishing village of Cortez, inspectors found 6 high-severity violations. The citation list included bare hand contact with ready-to-eat food, a direct transmission route for Norovirus, alongside inadequate shell stock identification records. Cortez Cafe serves seafood in a working waterfront community where shellfish handling is central to the menu, and the absence of shellfish traceability records means there is no paper trail if a customer becomes ill.
Food not cooked to the required minimum temperature was also cited at Cortez Cafe. Combined with a missing person in charge and an employee who was not reporting illness symptoms, the inspection documented failures at the sourcing, preparation, and supervision levels simultaneously.
Aroy D Thai and Sushi on Cortez Road West in Bradenton accumulated 6 high-severity and 3 intermediate violations. Among the most serious: food from an unapproved or unknown source. Inspectors also cited improper handwashing technique, food not cooked to minimum temperature, and toxic chemicals improperly stored. On the intermediate side, the restaurant was cited for improper sewage or wastewater disposal, a finding that carries its own contamination risk throughout the facility.
Greyson on 96th Street East in Palmetto matched Aroy D's total with 6 high-severity and 3 intermediate violations. The inspection flagged parasite destruction procedures not followed, a critical finding for any establishment serving raw or undercooked fish. Time as a public health control was not properly used, food was not cooked to minimum temperature, and toxic chemicals appeared in two separate violation categories. Inadequate cooling equipment was among the intermediate findings.
Island Restaurants and a Bradenton Chain
Beach Bistro on Gulf Drive in Holmes Beach drew 5 high-severity violations with no intermediate citations. The inspector documented inadequate shell stock identification records alongside food not cooked to the required minimum temperature and improper time as a public health control. An employee illness reporting failure and improper handwashing technique rounded out the list at one of Anna Maria Island's most prominent dining destinations.
Gulf Drive Cafe in Bradenton Beach, less than a mile north on the same barrier island, also received 5 high-severity violations. Inspectors found no person in charge present, food contact surfaces not properly cleaned or sanitized, food not cooked to minimum temperature, and no consumer advisory posted for raw or undercooked items. Two intermediate violations included inadequate ventilation and improperly maintained toilet facilities.
Sage Biscuit Cafe on Cortez Road West in Bradenton was cited for 5 high-severity violations, including two chemical storage failures, an employee illness reporting failure, and improper handwashing. The fifth violation was a lack of allergen awareness, a citation that covers 32 million Americans with food allergies and accounts for 30,000 emergency room visits annually.
Outback Steakhouse on West Cortez Road in Bradenton drew 4 high-severity violations, including food from an unapproved or unknown source and parasite destruction procedures not followed. Food contact surfaces were not properly cleaned or sanitized, and an employee was not reporting symptoms of illness.
What These Violations Mean
The single most repeated high-severity citation across Manatee County this week was improper handwashing technique, appearing at Hideko Sushi & Thai, Cortez Cafe, Aroy D Thai and Sushi, Greyson, Beach Bistro, Gulf Drive Cafe, Sage Biscuit Cafe, and Acapulco Mexican Restaurant. Improper technique means pathogens remain on hands even when a washing attempt is made. The distinction matters because it is invisible to supervisors and to customers.
Employee illness reporting failures appeared at six facilities this week: Hideko Sushi & Thai, Cortez Cafe, Aroy D Thai and Sushi, Beach Bistro, Sage Biscuit Cafe, and Outback Steakhouse. Food workers who do not report illness symptoms are the leading cause of multi-victim outbreaks nationally. Norovirus, which causes the majority of foodborne illness outbreaks in restaurants, can be transmitted by a single sick worker handling food for hundreds of customers in a single shift.
Three facilities, Outback Steakhouse, Aroy D Thai and Sushi, and Acapulco Mexican Restaurant on Lakewood Ranch Boulevard in Bradenton, were cited for food from unapproved or unknown sources. Food that bypasses USDA or FDA inspection has no traceability. If a customer becomes ill, investigators cannot trace the product back to its origin, which is the foundation of any outbreak response.
Parasite destruction violations at Greyson and Outback Steakhouse carry a specific risk for fish dishes. Without proper freezing protocols, parasites including Anisakis and tapeworm can survive in raw or undercooked fish and cause serious illness. Both restaurants were also cited for other high-severity violations in the same inspection, meaning the parasite failure did not occur in isolation.
The Longer Record
The week's violations land differently when placed against each facility's full inspection history. Sushi Ramen on 53rd Avenue West in Bradenton, which drew 3 high-severity violations including food in poor condition or adulterated and no allergen awareness, is a newer entrant to the county's inspection record. A shorter history makes this week's findings harder to contextualize as either an isolated lapse or an entrenched pattern.
Cracker Barrel #73 on 67th Street Circle East in Bradenton received a single high-severity citation, food contact surfaces not properly cleaned or sanitized, in an otherwise clean inspection. As a national chain location with a longer inspection record in the county, a single violation represents a markedly different profile than the facilities at the top of this week's list.
Acapulco Mexican Restaurant on Lakewood Ranch Boulevard drew 3 high-severity violations including no written employee health policy, improper handwashing, and food from an unapproved source. The combination of no health policy and an unapproved food source in the same inspection points to systemic gaps rather than a single oversight.
RJ Gator's Sea Grill and Bar on Cortez Road West in Bradenton was the week's cleanest performer among the named facilities, drawing only a single intermediate violation for inadequate ventilation and lighting. In a week when the county's top violator logged 8 high-severity citations at a single address, RJ Gator's result stands as the clearest outlier. The gap between the county's best and worst performers this week was 8 high-severity violations.
