NEW SMYRNA BEACH, FL. When a state inspector visited MRBL BBQ at 440 N Dixie Fwy on May 6, they found food that had not been cooked to the required minimum temperature, a violation that means pathogens capable of killing people were left alive on plates heading to customers.

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

What Inspectors Found

1HIGHFood not cooked to required minimum temperaturePathogen survival risk
2HIGHEmployee not reporting symptoms of illnessOutbreak enabler
3HIGHNo employee health policy or inadequate policyDisease transmission
4HIGHFood contact surfaces not properly cleaned or sanitizedCross-contamination
5HIGHFood in poor condition, mislabeled, or adulteratedFood quality hazard
6HIGHImproper hand and arm washing techniqueTechnique failure

The undercooking citation sits at the top of any food safety risk hierarchy. Salmonella in poultry survives below 165 degrees Fahrenheit. At a barbecue restaurant, where chicken and other proteins are the central product, that violation is not a paperwork problem.

Inspectors also cited employees for not reporting symptoms of illness, and the restaurant for having no adequate employee health policy. Those two violations are not independent of each other. Without a written policy requiring workers to report symptoms, there is no mechanism to keep a sick employee off the line.

The third personnel violation, improper handwashing technique, compounds both of the others. A worker who is ill, has no policy requiring them to report it, and is not washing their hands correctly represents a direct transmission route from the kitchen to a customer's plate.

Food contact surfaces, the cutting boards, prep tables, and utensils that touch everything served, were found not properly cleaned or sanitized. Inspectors also cited food in poor condition, mislabeled, or adulterated.

Six high-severity violations. Zero intermediate violations. The restaurant stayed open.

What These Violations Mean

Undercooking is among the most direct causes of foodborne illness in the inspection record. When poultry or ground meat does not reach its required internal temperature, bacteria that would otherwise be destroyed survive and reach the customer. The illness that follows, whether Salmonella or Campylobacter, can require hospitalization. At MRBL BBQ, a restaurant whose core product is smoked and grilled meat, this is not an edge-case risk.

The combination of no employee health policy and employees not reporting illness symptoms is how multi-victim outbreaks start. Norovirus, one of the most common causes of foodborne illness in the United States, spreads rapidly when infected food workers handle food without restriction. A written health policy is the basic structural tool that prevents an infected employee from showing up and working a full shift. MRBL BBQ did not have an adequate one.

Improper handwashing technique means that even when a worker goes through the motion of washing their hands, pathogens remain. Studies have shown that technique failures, skipping the 20-second scrub, skipping soap, rinsing too quickly, leave contamination levels nearly as high as no washing at all. At a facility where workers were also not reporting illness, that matters.

Unsanitized food contact surfaces are a cross-contamination vehicle. A cutting board that is not properly sanitized between uses can transfer raw meat bacteria to a ready-to-eat item. The food-in-poor-condition citation adds a separate layer: food that is spoiled, mislabeled, or adulterated carries its own illness risk independent of cooking temperatures.

The Longer Record

The May 6 inspection was the fourth on record for MRBL BBQ. Across those four visits, inspectors have documented 35 total violations. The restaurant has never been emergency-closed.

The pattern is not a sudden deterioration. On September 10, 2025, inspectors cited the restaurant for 10 high-severity violations and 6 intermediate violations in a single visit, the worst single-inspection total in the facility's record. One week later, on September 17, 2025, a follow-up visit still found 3 high-severity violations and 3 intermediate ones. The high-severity count did not reach zero.

By March 26, 2026, the numbers had dropped to 1 high and 1 intermediate violation. That improvement did not hold. The May 6 inspection returned the high-severity count to 6, matching categories, including personnel illness reporting and food safety fundamentals, that appeared in the September 2025 inspections as well.

MRBL BBQ Inspection History

Sept. 10, 202510 high-severity, 6 intermediate violations. Worst single inspection on record.
Sept. 17, 20253 high-severity, 3 intermediate violations. Follow-up visit, high-severity count still above zero.
March 26, 20261 high-severity, 1 intermediate violation. Best inspection on record.
May 6, 20266 high-severity, 0 intermediate violations. Undercooked food, sick worker failures, unsanitized surfaces. Restaurant not closed.

The September 10, 2025 inspection produced the highest single-visit total in the facility's history. The May 6, 2026 inspection produced the second highest. In between, a relatively clean March visit suggested the problems were fixable. They were not fixed.

Still Open

Florida's emergency closure authority exists for situations where inspectors determine an imminent hazard to public health. Six high-severity violations, including undercooked food, no illness reporting policy, employees not reporting symptoms, and unsanitized food contact surfaces, did not meet that threshold on May 6.

The restaurant at 440 N Dixie Fwy served customers after the inspection closed.