MIAMI, FL. Totoritas Restaurant on NW 36th Street drew 11 high-severity violations during the week of September 23, the highest single-facility count among 15 Miami restaurants flagged by state inspectors, with citations covering everything from food cooked below required minimum temperatures to employees not reporting symptoms of illness and no written health policy on site.
The Worst of the Week
Totoritas' 11 high-severity citations included inadequate handwashing, improper handwashing technique, no person in charge present, inadequate shell stock identification records, and food contact surfaces not properly cleaned or sanitized. The combination of no illness policy, employees not reporting symptoms, and food not cooked to minimum temperature is the set of conditions the CDC identifies as most directly linked to multi-victim outbreaks.
Dunkin' Donuts at 12561 Biscayne Boulevard followed with 10 high-severity violations. Among them: food sourced from an unapproved or unknown supplier, parasite destruction procedures not followed, and food not cooked to minimum required temperature. For a donut-and-coffee chain, the citation for inadequate shell stock identification records and parasite destruction failures stands out, indicating inspectors found fish or seafood products handled without required safety protocols.
Burger King at 7975 NW 27th Avenue drew 9 high-severity violations, including food from an unapproved or unknown source, parasite destruction procedures not followed, improperly stored or labeled toxic chemicals, and no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods. Inspectors also cited improper handwashing technique and employees not reporting symptoms of illness.
China Buffet at 1032 SW 67th Avenue also reached 9 high-severity violations. Inspectors documented that employees were not reporting symptoms of illness, that the facility had no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods, and that time as a public health control was not properly used, meaning food was allowed to sit in the temperature danger zone without either adequate refrigeration or a documented time-tracking system.
The Steakhouse, the Catering Company, and the Spanish Kitchen
Cote Korean Steak House at 3900 NE 2nd Avenue accumulated 9 high-severity violations, including no person in charge, no employee health policy, employees not reporting illness, and toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled. Inspectors also noted food not cooked to minimum temperature and time as a public health control not properly used, a particular concern at a restaurant built around tableside grilling.
Fuddruckers at 10674 NW 19th Street drew 9 high-severity citations, among them no person in charge, inadequate handwashing facilities, improper handwashing technique, and toxic chemicals improperly stored. The citation for inadequate handwashing facilities is distinct from a technique violation: it means the physical infrastructure required for hand hygiene was itself deficient.
Brisa de Espana at 8726 NW 26th Street matched that count with 9 high-severity violations, including food from an unapproved or unknown source, parasite destruction procedures not followed, and toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled. Inspectors also cited inadequate handwashing facilities and no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked items.
Tiagos Tacos at 9595 SW 160th Street drew 8 high-severity violations, including both toxic chemicals improperly stored and toxic substances improperly identified, stored, or used, two separate chemical-handling citations in a single visit. Inspectors also found food from an unapproved source, parasite destruction procedures not followed, and food not cooked to minimum temperature.
Dunkin' Donuts at 9545 NE 2nd Avenue drew 8 high-severity violations, including no allergen awareness demonstrated, time as a public health control not properly used, and toxic substances improperly identified, stored, or used. It is the second Dunkin' location to appear in this week's findings.
Whisk Gourmet Food and Catering at 7382 SW 56th Avenue recorded 6 high-severity violations, including no person in charge, inadequate handwashing facilities, no employee health policy, and toxic chemicals improperly stored. A catering operation with no person in charge and improper sewage disposal, which inspectors also cited, presents contamination risks that extend beyond the facility's own walls to the events it serves.
China Lee Restaurant at 559 SW 8th Street drew 6 high-severity violations, including toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled, no allergen awareness demonstrated, improper handwashing technique, and food not cooked to minimum temperature.
Rio Grande Churrascaria at 11995 SW 26th Street recorded 5 high-severity violations, among them food from an unapproved or unknown source, food not cooked to minimum temperature, and employees not reporting symptoms of illness. Inspectors also cited improper sewage or wastewater disposal.
Fritanga Cañita at 11865 SW 26th Street drew 3 high-severity violations, including no employee health policy and food contact surfaces not properly cleaned or sanitized, along with a citation for required procedures for specialized processes not followed, which applies to operations involving smoking, curing, fermenting, or reduced-oxygen packaging.
Me Kong Chinese Restaurant at 18073 S Dixie Highway drew 5 high-severity violations, including both inadequate handwashing by food employees and improper handwashing technique cited in the same visit, toxic chemicals improperly stored, and no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods.
Manta Restaurant at 102 NW 25th Street recorded 2 high-severity violations, the lowest count among facilities cited this week, for no employee health policy and food contact surfaces not properly cleaned or sanitized.
What These Violations Mean
The most dangerous cluster this week involves the intersection of illness reporting failures and inadequate cooking temperatures. At Totoritas, Rio Grande Churrascaria, China Buffet, and Cote Korean Steak House, inspectors found that employees were not required or not expected to report symptoms of illness, and that food was not reaching minimum required cooking temperatures. That combination is direct: a sick food handler touching undercooked food creates a contamination pathway with no safety net on either side.
Food from unapproved or unknown sources, cited at Rio Grande Churrascaria, Dunkin' Donuts on Biscayne, Burger King on NW 27th, Brisa de Espana, and Tiagos Tacos, is a traceability problem as much as a safety problem. When a restaurant cannot document where its food came from, there is no way to trace illness back to a source if customers get sick. Those supply chains also bypass USDA and FDA inspection points that exist specifically to catch contamination before it reaches a kitchen.
Parasite destruction failures, documented at Dunkin' Donuts on Biscayne, Burger King on NW 27th, Brisa de Espana, and Tiagos Tacos, are not theoretical. Fish served without proper prior freezing can harbor Anisakis larvae, a parasite that causes severe gastrointestinal illness and, in some cases, requires surgical removal. The citations indicate inspectors found no documentation that required freezing protocols had been completed.
Chemical storage violations at China Lee, Whisk Gourmet, Burger King, Brisa de Espana, Tiagos Tacos, Fuddruckers, Cote Korean Steak House, and Me Kong represent one of the most acute immediate risks in a kitchen. Unlabeled or improperly stored cleaning chemicals placed near food prep surfaces can cause poisoning within minutes of ingestion, with no visible or taste-based warning to the customer.
The Longer Record
Fuddruckers on NW 19th Street has the longest inspection history of any facility in this week's findings, with 36 prior inspections on record. This week's 9 high-severity violations, including no person in charge and inadequate handwashing facilities, are not a new facility still finding its footing. They represent a location that has been inspected more than three dozen times.
Me Kong Chinese Restaurant carries 35 prior inspections, and Rio Grande Churrascaria and Totoritas each have 34. China Buffet has 32. These are not facilities that can claim unfamiliarity with state standards. Inspectors have visited each of them enough times that the violations documented this week reflect choices, not confusion.
Tiagos Tacos, by contrast, has only 7 prior inspections on record, making it one of the newest facilities in this week's roundup. It drew 8 high-severity violations, including two separate toxic substance citations and food from an unapproved source, in what is still early in its inspection history.
Cote Korean Steak House has 11 prior inspections and already accumulated 9 high-severity violations this week, including no person in charge and employees not reporting illness. The two Dunkin' Donuts locations, with 24 and 17 prior inspections respectively, each drew 8 or more high-severity violations, with the Biscayne Boulevard location reaching 10. Whether the chain's Miami locations share common training failures or common supply chain problems, the inspection record does not say.
