ORLANDO, FL. Back in March 2026, state inspectors walked into Moge Tee, a specialty food shop in Orlando, and found cooked tapioca sitting at 98 degrees Fahrenheit at the front counter, probed internally with a calibrated thermometer, nearly 40 degrees below the minimum safe holding temperature required by food safety code.
That was not the only problem.
The March 23 inspection by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services turned up 10 total violations, including three priority violations and one that inspectors had cited before. None were corrected before the inspection began.
What Inspectors Found
The temperature finding was the most immediate concern. State food safety code requires hot-held food to stay at or above 135 degrees Fahrenheit. The tapioca, a staple ingredient in Moge Tee's drinks, registered at 98 degrees, deep inside the temperature range where bacteria multiply rapidly.
The inspector documented that the item had been held under a two-hour window, after which it would be discarded. The manager filled out time-as-a-public-health-control documentation on the spot.
In the kitchen, inspectors found raw eggs stored directly above heavy whipping cream, a cross-contamination risk that was corrected during the visit by moving the eggs to a lower shelf, away from ready-to-eat items.
An employee at the front counter was observed ringing up a customer and then touching single-service items without washing their hands first. The employee washed their hands after the inspector intervened.
Also in the kitchen, an employee was observed washing and rinsing a food-contact surface without running it through a sanitizer station. The sanitizer station was set up, tested, and the surfaces processed through it before the inspector left.
Blocked Sinks and Missing Equipment
The inspection turned up a cluster of foundational equipment failures that inspectors classify as priority foundation violations, meaning they support the conditions that prevent contamination.
Both the front counter and kitchen handwashing sinks were missing soap and paper towels. The front counter sink was also blocked by a garbage can, with utensils stored inside the basin itself. Inspectors noted that the sink was made accessible and soap and paper towels were supplied before the inspection concluded.
The establishment had no thin-tip probe thermometer at the start of the inspection, a tool required for verifying the internal temperature of food. A thermometer was provided by the end of the visit. There was also no chlorine sanitizer test kit on hand, which is necessary for confirming that sanitizer solutions are at effective concentrations. A kit was provided before inspectors left.
The wall near kitchen equipment and a bakery machine showed an accumulation of old food residue. Cases of oil were stored directly on the kitchen floor rather than at least six inches above it.
The Repeat Violation
One citation stood out because inspectors had flagged it before. Moge Tee did not have a certified food protection manager on staff, meaning no one with a recognized food safety certification had passed the required examination. The inspector noted that industry guidance was provided.
This was not a new finding. The repeat designation means state records show the same gap had been documented in a prior inspection, and the establishment had not resolved it in the intervening time.
What These Violations Mean
The temperature violation at the front counter is among the most direct food safety risks a retail food establishment can present to customers. Cooked tapioca held at 98 degrees sits inside what food safety regulators call the danger zone, the range between 41 and 135 degrees Fahrenheit where bacteria including Salmonella and Staphylococcus aureus can double in population in as little as 20 minutes. A customer purchasing a drink made with that tapioca would have no way of knowing it had been held at an unsafe temperature.
The raw egg storage violation carries a similar logic. Eggs are a known vehicle for Salmonella. Storing them above ready-to-eat items like heavy whipping cream creates a direct pathway for contamination if an egg cracks or leaks. The correction happened quickly, but the arrangement existed before inspectors arrived.
Blocked and unsupplied handwashing sinks are not a paperwork problem. When the only sink available to employees is blocked by a garbage can or has utensils stored in it, employees cannot wash their hands between tasks. The front counter observation, where an employee moved from handling a cash transaction directly to touching single-service items, shows exactly how that gap plays out in practice.
The missing certified food protection manager is a structural issue. State code requires at least one person in each establishment to hold a recognized food safety certification, because that individual is responsible for training staff, maintaining proper procedures, and catching problems before inspectors do. When that role is vacant, and when it was vacant during a prior inspection as well, the conditions that produce the other violations on this list become easier to understand.
The Longer Record
The inspection data available for Moge Tee's Orlando location shows this visit on March 23, 2026, as part of the establishment's documented inspection history with FDACS. The repeat violation designation for the absent certified food protection manager is significant: it means the state had already told the shop to address this gap, and a follow-up inspection found it unresolved.
The March visit resulted in an outcome of Met Sanitation Inspection Requirements, meaning the location was not ordered closed and was not issued a stop-sale order. Most of the violations that could be corrected on site were addressed before inspectors left.
The certified food protection manager gap, however, is not something that can be resolved during an inspection. Passing the required examination takes preparation and scheduling. As of the March 23 visit, that certification had not been obtained, and the inspection record reflected that the same problem had existed before.