NAPLES, FL. A hotel restaurant on 5th Avenue, a private golf club on Borghese Lane, and a national steakhouse chain were among twelve food service operations across Naples and Bonita Springs cited for high-severity health violations during the week of August 15 through August 21, 2026, state inspection records show.
The twelve facilities collectively drew 47 high-severity citations in seven days. Five of those facilities had no written employee health policy on record, meaning inspectors found no documented procedure requiring sick workers to report symptoms or stay home.
The Violations
Hyatt House Naples Latitude 26 on 5th Avenue drew five high-severity citations. Among them: food from an unapproved or unknown source, inadequate shell stock identification records, no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods, no person in charge performing duties, and an employee not reporting illness symptoms. The combination of an unapproved food source and missing shellfish records at a hotel restaurant serving tourists is particularly significant, because shellfish, including oysters and clams, are consumed raw or lightly cooked and are among the highest-risk foods in any kitchen.
Hammock Bay Golf and Country Club on Borghese Lane also drew five high-severity violations. Inspectors cited no person in charge, an employee not reporting illness symptoms, improper handwashing technique, food contact surfaces not properly cleaned or sanitized, and no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods. The club also drew an intermediate citation for multi-use utensils not properly cleaned.
First Watch on Collier Boulevard was cited for five high-severity violations as well, including no person in charge, no employee health policy, an employee not reporting illness symptoms, inadequate handwashing facilities, and improper handwashing technique. Inspectors also noted multi-use utensils not properly cleaned as an intermediate violation.
Magic Masala Indian Cuisine on Business Circle carried the week's most varied list of serious citations. Inspectors found no employee health policy, improper handwashing technique, food from an unapproved source, parasite destruction procedures not followed, and toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled. The parasite destruction citation, combined with an unapproved food source, is notable at a restaurant serving dishes that may include raw or lightly cooked fish.
DeRomo's Gourmet Restaurant and Market on S Bay Drive in Bonita Springs was cited for five high-severity violations: no employee health policy, an employee not reporting illness symptoms, improper handwashing technique, food from an unapproved source, and toxic substances improperly identified, stored, or used.
Komoon Thai Sushi and Ceviche on Bonita Beach Road drew five high-severity citations including no employee health policy, inadequate handwashing facilities, improper handwashing technique, food contact surfaces not properly cleaned, and no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods. A sushi restaurant serving raw fish without a posted consumer advisory means diners with compromised immune systems, including the elderly and pregnant women, have no notice of the risk.
By the R's Diner on East Tamiami Trail was cited for four high-severity violations: no employee health policy, inadequate handwashing facilities, food from an unapproved source, and food contact surfaces not properly cleaned. Inspectors also noted multi-use utensils not properly cleaned and inadequate or improperly maintained toilet facilities.
Mr Tequila Grill on Tamiami Trail North drew four high-severity citations including no person in charge, an employee not reporting illness symptoms, inadequate handwashing facilities, and no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods. The facility also had intermediate citations for multi-use utensils not properly cleaned and inadequate ventilation and lighting.
Senor Tequila's Inc on South Tamiami Trail in Bonita Springs was cited for four high-severity violations: no employee health policy, improper handwashing technique, food contact surfaces not properly cleaned, and toxic substances improperly identified, stored, or used. Intermediate violations included inadequate ventilation and lighting and improperly maintained toilet facilities.
Outback Steakhouse on Triangle Boulevard drew three high-severity violations: no person in charge performing duties, an employee not reporting illness symptoms, and food contact surfaces not properly cleaned or sanitized.
Namba Ramen and Sushi on Tamiami Trail North and Bonita Brunch on South Tamiami Trail in Bonita Springs each drew a single high-severity citation. Namba was cited for an employee not reporting illness symptoms. Bonita Brunch was cited for food contact surfaces not properly cleaned or sanitized.
What These Violations Mean
The most common high-severity violation across this week's inspections was the cluster of illness-related failures: no employee health policy, employees not reporting symptoms, and no person in charge to enforce either. At First Watch, Hammock Bay Golf and Country Club, DeRomo's, Mr Tequila Grill, Outback Steakhouse, and Namba Ramen and Sushi, inspectors documented that workers were not required or equipped to report illness. Norovirus, the leading cause of foodborne illness outbreaks in the United States, spreads almost exclusively through infected food workers handling ready-to-eat food. A single sick employee with no obligation to report symptoms can expose dozens of diners in a single shift.
The food-from-unapproved-source violations at Hyatt House Naples Latitude 26, Magic Masala, DeRomo's, and By the R's Diner represent a different category of risk. When food bypasses USDA or FDA-inspected supply chains, there is no traceability if someone becomes ill. If a guest at the Hyatt House develops symptoms after eating shellfish, and the shellfish has no shell stock identification tag, public health investigators have no record of where it came from, when it was harvested, or who else received the same shipment.
Parasite destruction procedures not followed at Magic Masala is among the more specific citations in this week's data. Proper parasite destruction requires fish to be frozen at precise temperatures for a defined period before serving raw or undercooked. Without documentation that this was done, customers eating dishes with raw or lightly cooked fish at that location had no assurance the fish was safe.
Four facilities, Komoon Thai Sushi and Ceviche, Hammock Bay Golf and Country Club, Mr Tequila Grill, and Hyatt House Naples Latitude 26, were cited for failing to post a consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods. This matters most in a tourist corridor, where visitors are less likely to know a restaurant's sourcing habits and more likely to include high-risk diners, such as the elderly, pregnant women, or immunocompromised guests, who face the most serious consequences from raw shellfish or undercooked proteins.
The Longer Record
The data does not include prior inspection counts for these facilities, so it is not possible from this week's records alone to determine whether these citations represent a sudden departure or a documented pattern at each location. What the violation types themselves suggest, however, is that several of these findings reflect systemic gaps rather than isolated incidents. The absence of a written employee health policy, for instance, is not a lapse that happens on a bad day. It is either in place or it is not.
The breadth of the week's findings across facility types is notable. The citations span a hotel restaurant, a private country club, a national breakfast chain, a sushi restaurant, a ramen shop, two Mexican grills, an Indian restaurant, a gourmet market, and a diner. No single type of operation accounted for the pattern.
Toxic substance violations at DeRomo's and Senor Tequila's, covering improper identification, storage, or use of chemicals, remained unresolved in the inspection records available for this period.
