WINTER GARDEN, FL. Inspectors visiting Matthews Steakhouse on West Plant Street on June 12, 2026 found that the restaurant was serving food from unapproved or unknown sources, a violation that means the steaks, fish, or other ingredients on the plate that day could not be traced back to any USDA or FDA inspected supplier. The restaurant was not closed.
That single finding was one of eight high-severity violations documented during the inspection. The facility also drew two intermediate violations, for a total of ten citations from one visit.
What Inspectors Found
The food sourcing violation was compounded by a separate citation for failing to follow parasite destruction procedures. At a steakhouse, that means fish or other items served raw or undercooked were not subjected to the required freezing protocols designed to kill parasites including Anisakis and tapeworm.
Inspectors also cited the restaurant for failing to post a consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods. At a steakhouse where customers routinely order rare or medium-rare cuts, that notice is the last line of communication between the kitchen and a diner who may be immunocompromised, pregnant, or elderly.
Toxic chemicals were found improperly stored or labeled. Food contact surfaces were not properly cleaned or sanitized, a finding that points to bacterial transfer between ingredients and preparation surfaces throughout service.
Employees were observed using improper handwashing technique. The inspector also found that no person in charge was present or performing supervisory duties during the visit.
What These Violations Mean
Food from unapproved sources is one of the most serious categories in Florida's inspection framework, because it collapses the traceability chain entirely. If a customer becomes ill, investigators cannot identify the supplier, the lot, or the distribution path. The food arriving at Matthews Steakhouse on June 12 could have bypassed every USDA and FDA checkpoint that exists to screen for Listeria, Salmonella, and E. coli.
The parasite destruction failure compounds that risk specifically for fish. Federal food code requires that fish served raw or undercooked be frozen to specific temperatures for specific durations before service. When that step is skipped, parasites that survive in raw or lightly cooked fish reach the customer's plate intact.
The improper handwashing citation is distinct from a failure to wash hands at all. It means employees went through the motion but used a technique that leaves pathogens on the skin. Studies have documented that flawed technique can leave contamination levels nearly as high as no washing at all.
The absence of a person in charge during the inspection is not a paperwork violation. CDC data links establishments without active managerial oversight to three times the rate of critical violations found in managed kitchens. Every other failure on this list is easier to sustain when no one in authority is watching.
The Longer Record
The June 2026 inspection was the eighteenth on record for Matthews Steakhouse. Across those visits, inspectors have documented 61 total violations. The restaurant has never been emergency-closed.
The pattern of high-severity citations is not new. Records show four high-severity violations in November 2024, followed two days later by another inspection that produced four more high-severity findings. That back-to-back sequence in November 2024 suggests problems that were not resolved between visits.
Prior inspections in June 2024 and December 2022 each produced four high-severity violations as well. The October 2023 inspection was clean, with zero violations at any level. But the restaurant returned to high-severity citations by August 2023 and has not had another zero-violation inspection since.
The November 2025 inspection, the most recent before this year's visit, found two high-severity violations and one intermediate. The June 2026 inspection quadrupled the high-severity count from that prior visit.
Open for Business
Florida law gives inspectors the authority to order an emergency closure when conditions pose an immediate threat to public health. Eight high-severity violations, including food from unapproved sources, failed parasite destruction, improperly stored chemicals, and unsanitized food contact surfaces, did not meet that threshold at Matthews Steakhouse on June 12.
The restaurant remained open.