JACKSONVILLE, FL. An inspector visiting Metro Diner on Hendricks Avenue on April 22 found toxic substances improperly stored or identified on the premises, a violation that state health data flags as creating immediate risk of chemical contamination in food.

That was one of six high-severity violations documented that day. The restaurant was not closed.

What Inspectors Found

1HIGHToxic substances improperly identified/stored/usedImmediate chemical risk
2HIGHEmployee not reporting symptoms of illnessOutbreak enabler
3HIGHImproper hand and arm washing techniquePathogen transfer risk
4HIGHFood contact surfaces not properly cleaned/sanitizedCross-contamination vehicle
5HIGHNo consumer advisory for raw/undercooked foodsVulnerable diners uninformed
6HIGHPerson in charge not present or performing dutiesManagement failure
7INTSingle-use items improperly reusedContamination risk

The inspector also cited employees for improper handwashing technique, meaning workers were going through the motions of washing their hands without removing pathogens effectively. Food contact surfaces, including the cutting boards and prep equipment customers never see, were not properly cleaned or sanitized.

Two other high-severity findings compounded the picture. Employees were not reporting symptoms of illness, and no person in charge was present or performing supervisory duties during the inspection. The restaurant also lacked a consumer advisory for raw or undercooked menu items. An intermediate violation for reusing single-use items rounded out the report.

What These Violations Mean

The illness-reporting violation is the one public health officials consistently flag as an outbreak trigger. When food workers handle food while symptomatic, they become a direct transmission route for norovirus and other pathogens. A single infected employee working a busy breakfast shift can expose dozens of customers before anyone knows there is a problem.

The improper handwashing citation compounds that risk. Inspectors do not cite this violation when employees skip handwashing entirely; they cite it when employees wash incorrectly, leaving pathogens on their hands despite the appearance of compliance. Combined with food contact surfaces that were not properly sanitized, the conditions documented at Metro Diner on April 22 describe a kitchen where contamination could move from worker to surface to food with little interruption.

The toxic substances violation is in a separate category. Improper storage or identification of chemicals near food preparation areas creates the possibility of chemical contamination in a meal, not a biological risk that develops over hours but an immediate one. The absence of a consumer advisory for raw or undercooked items means customers ordering dishes prepared below full cooking temperature, including elderly diners, pregnant women, and anyone immunocompromised, had no way of knowing they were taking on additional risk.

The "no person in charge" violation ties the others together. CDC data cited in the inspection record indicates that establishments without active managerial control accumulate critical violations at three times the rate of those with engaged supervision. On April 22, Metro Diner had six high-severity violations and no manager on duty to catch any of them.

The Longer Record

Metro Diner on Hendricks Ave: Inspection History

April 20266 high-severity, 1 intermediate violations. Facility remained open.
November 20250 high, 0 intermediate violations. Clean inspection.
October 20259 high, 3 intermediate violations.
April 20256 high, 4 intermediate violations.
October 20249 high, 2 intermediate violations.
April 20247 high, 1 intermediate violations.
October 20235 high, 2 intermediate violations.
May 20236 high, 4 intermediate violations.
October 20225 high, 1 intermediate violations.

The April 22 inspection was the 23rd on record for this location. Across those inspections, the facility has accumulated 177 total violations. It has never been emergency-closed.

The pattern in the records is consistent and difficult to dismiss as coincidence. Of the eight most recent inspections before April 2026, seven produced five or more high-severity violations. The lone exception was a clean inspection in November 2025, which followed an October 2025 visit that found nine high-severity violations. That same sequence, a high-violation inspection followed by a cleaner one, appeared in 2024 and 2023 as well.

The violations documented in April 2026 are not a new low for this location. They are, by the numbers, an average result. A facility that produced nine high-severity violations in October 2025 and six in April 2025 is a facility that has been generating serious inspection findings on a roughly semi-annual basis for at least four years.

Open for Business

State inspectors have the authority to order an emergency closure when conditions pose an immediate threat to public health. On April 22, with six high-severity violations documented, including improperly stored toxic substances, employees not reporting illness, and no manager present, that determination was made and the restaurant was allowed to remain open.

Customers who ate at Metro Diner on Hendricks Avenue that day were not notified of what inspectors had found.