TITUSVILLE, FL. Inspectors visiting New Century Chinese Restaurant at 2000 Cheney Highway on July 9 found the kitchen was sourcing food from unapproved or unknown suppliers, a violation that strips away any ability to trace contamination if a customer gets sick.
That was one of six high-severity violations documented during the visit. The restaurant was not emergency-closed.
What Inspectors Found
The unapproved food source violation is among the most serious a restaurant can receive. When food bypasses USDA and FDA inspection channels, there is no paperwork trail connecting it to a specific supplier, processing facility, or safety check. If a customer becomes ill, investigators have nothing to follow.
Inspectors also found toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled near food areas. They documented food contact surfaces, the cutting boards, prep tables, and utensils that touch every dish leaving the kitchen, as not properly cleaned or sanitized.
The hand-washing violation compounds that picture. Inspectors cited improper technique, meaning employees were going through the motions of washing their hands without actually removing pathogens. Combined with unsanitized food contact surfaces, that is a direct route for bacteria to reach a customer's plate.
Two intermediate violations rounded out the report: single-use items being reused, and inadequate or improperly maintained toilet facilities.
What These Violations Mean
The food from unapproved sources violation is not a paperwork problem. Suppliers who operate outside USDA and FDA oversight are not subject to the routine testing that catches Listeria, Salmonella, and E. coli before product ships. If contaminated food enters this kitchen through an uninspected channel, and a customer gets sick, health investigators cannot identify where the food came from or who else received it.
The chemical storage violation carries a different but equally immediate risk. Cleaning agents and sanitizers stored near or above food preparation areas can contaminate food directly through spills, mislabeling, or accidental use. Acute chemical poisoning does not require repeated exposure. A single contaminated dish is enough.
The time-as-public-health-control violation means the kitchen was using a tracking system that allows food to sit in the bacterial growth temperature range, between 41 and 135 degrees, for a defined window instead of keeping it continuously cold or hot. When that system is not followed correctly, food can spend hours in conditions that allow bacteria to multiply to dangerous levels without any visible sign that anything is wrong.
The consumer advisory violation is specifically dangerous for elderly customers, pregnant women, and anyone with a compromised immune system. Without a posted advisory, those customers cannot make an informed decision about ordering raw or undercooked items.
The Longer Record
This was not an unusually bad day for New Century Chinese Restaurant. State records show 38 inspections on file and 415 total violations documented over the facility's history.
The pattern in recent years is consistent. In July 2025, inspectors found seven high-severity violations and two intermediate violations. In August 2023, the count reached nine high-severity and four intermediate violations. In July 2023, just weeks before that, the tally was six high-severity and two intermediate violations, an almost identical profile to the July 2026 inspection.
The facility has never been emergency-closed, despite accumulating violations in the same serious categories across multiple inspection cycles. The food sourcing, sanitation, and handwashing problems documented this month are not new findings at this address.
The January 2026 inspection, six months before this one, recorded three high-severity and two intermediate violations. The restaurant was inspected, violations were noted, and the cycle continued.
Still Open
Six high-severity violations, including food arriving from sources that cannot be verified and chemicals stored where they could reach food, and New Century Chinese Restaurant on Cheney Highway remained open on July 9, 2026.
The 415 violations accumulated across 38 inspections represent a record that stretches back years. None of those inspections resulted in an emergency closure.
The restaurant was still operating after the July 9 visit.
