ALTAMONTE SPRINGS, FL. State inspectors walked into NY Best Pizza at 241 S. Westmonte Drive on October 8, 2026, and documented that the restaurant had no approved potable water supply, was sourcing food from unapproved or unknown origins, and had no written employee health policy in place. They cited nine high-severity violations. The restaurant remained open.
What Inspectors Found
The potable water violation is among the most serious on the list. Water used in food preparation, for handwashing, and for cleaning equipment at this location could not be verified as coming from an approved supply. Inspectors also found that food on the premises came from unapproved or unknown sources, meaning there is no documented chain of custody for what was being served to customers that day.
No person in charge was present or performing supervisory duties during the inspection. Inspectors found that employees were not following proper handwashing technique, that food contact surfaces had not been properly cleaned or sanitized, and that food was not being cooked to the required minimum temperatures.
The restaurant also lacked a consumer advisory notifying customers that raw or undercooked items were on the menu. Multi-use utensils were cited as not properly cleaned, the one intermediate violation on the report.
What These Violations Mean
The absence of an approved potable water supply is not a paperwork problem. Non-potable water in a food preparation environment can carry E. coli, Cryptosporidium, Giardia, and Legionella, pathogens that cause serious illness and, in vulnerable populations, can be life-threatening. Every surface washed, every ingredient rinsed, every hand cleaned with that water is a potential exposure point.
Food sourced from unapproved or unknown suppliers is equally serious for a different reason: traceability. When a customer gets sick after eating at a restaurant and inspectors need to trace the source, that trail begins with the supplier. Food from unknown sources has no trail. If contaminated product was served at NY Best Pizza on October 8, there is no documented record of where it came from or who else received it.
The combination of no employee health policy and employees not reporting illness symptoms creates a direct transmission route for Norovirus, which accounts for roughly 20 million cases of foodborne illness in the United States each year. A sick employee with no policy telling them to stay home, and no system requiring them to report symptoms, continues preparing food.
Improper handwashing technique compounds all of it. Studies show that incorrect technique, even when a handwashing attempt is made, leaves pathogens on hands at levels sufficient for transfer. At NY Best Pizza on October 8, inspectors documented that employees were not washing properly, that the surfaces those hands touched had not been sanitized, and that the food those hands prepared was not being cooked to temperatures that would kill surviving pathogens.
The Longer Record
The October 8 inspection did not happen in isolation. State records show NY Best Pizza has accumulated 256 violations across 36 inspections on file, including two prior emergency closures.
The most recent closure came the day before this inspection. On October 7, 2026, inspectors ordered the restaurant shut after documenting sewage leaks. That inspection also produced 10 high-severity violations and 1 intermediate. The restaurant was allowed to reopen on October 8, the same day inspectors returned and found the nine high-severity violations detailed in this report.
The earlier closure came in November 2022, when inspectors shut the restaurant down for roach activity. It reopened two days later.
The inspection record in the months surrounding this visit shows a persistent pattern. In April 2026, inspectors visited on consecutive days and found four and three high-severity violations respectively. In September 2025, they found six high-severity violations. The facility has not had a clean stretch in recent memory, and the violations cluster in the same categories: food sourcing, temperature control, employee practices, and management oversight.
Open for Business
Nine high-severity violations were documented at NY Best Pizza on October 8, 2026. The restaurant was not emergency-closed.
The day before, with ten high-severity violations and a sewage leak, it was shut down. It reopened the same morning inspectors returned to find no potable water, food from unknown sources, no person in charge, and employees cooking food to insufficient temperatures.
As of the October 8 inspection, NY Best Pizza remained open.
