ORLANDO, FL. Spicy Girl on International Drive drew the highest single-facility violation count of the week, with inspectors documenting 12 high-severity citations in one visit, including food sourced from unapproved or unknown suppliers, no functional employee health policy, and an employee who failed to report illness symptoms, all at a restaurant that had no person in charge present or performing duties at the time of inspection.
Fifteen Orlando and Orange County restaurants accumulated high-severity violations during the week of August 5 through August 11, 2026. Three of those facilities were emergency-closed by the state.
Three Restaurants Shut Down
Hooters on Palm Parkway was the first restaurant emergency-closed this week, shut down on August 5 for fly activity. Inspectors cited one high-severity violation, an improperly cleaned food contact surface, before ordering the closure.
Juicy Crab on International Drive was closed August 7 for roach and fly activity. The facility had accumulated four high-severity violations at the same inspection, including an employee who failed to report illness symptoms, improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, food not cooked to required minimum temperatures, and toxic chemicals stored or labeled incorrectly. Inspectors also cited improper sewage or wastewater disposal as an intermediate violation.
Jersey Mike's Subs at 6700 Conroy Road was also closed August 7, for roach activity. Jersey Mike's does not appear in the high-severity violation list for this week.
International Drive Concentrates the Worst Findings
Three of the five highest-violation facilities this week sit on or just off International Drive, Orlando's tourist corridor. That includes Spicy Girl, Red Lobster, and Sickies Burgers and Brews.
Red Lobster at 5936 International Drive recorded 10 high-severity violations. Inspectors found that the restaurant lacked adequate shellfish traceability records, that parasite destruction procedures for fish were not being followed, that food was not cooked to required minimum internal temperatures, and that no consumer advisory was posted for raw or undercooked items. Employees were also cited for not reporting illness symptoms and for improper handwashing technique.
Sickies Burgers and Brews at 11701 International Drive matched Red Lobster's count with 10 high-severity violations of its own. Inspectors documented food sourced from unapproved or unknown suppliers, parasite destruction procedures not followed, food not cooked to minimum required temperatures, no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods, and no written employee health policy. Employees were also cited for failing to report illness symptoms and for improper handwashing.
Persis Indian Grill at 5931 International Drive drew nine high-severity citations. Among the most serious: toxic chemicals were improperly stored or labeled inside the facility, shellfish traceability records were inadequate, food was not cooked to required temperatures, and no consumer advisory was displayed for raw or undercooked menu items.
Beyond the Tourist Strip
Pesaro's Pizza at 3464 Avalon Park East Boulevard also recorded nine high-severity violations. Inspectors found no person in charge present or performing duties, food from unapproved or unknown sources, food not cooked to required temperatures, time used as a public health control without being properly managed, and no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked items.
Pollos a la Brasa Pio Pio on South Semoran Boulevard was cited for eight high-severity violations, including food in poor condition or adulterated, food from unapproved sources, toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled, and no consumer advisory. Inspectors also noted that the facility had no written employee health policy and that employees were not reporting illness symptoms.
Wing Shack on Michigan Street drew eight high-severity violations including two separate chemical storage citations: toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled, and toxic substances improperly identified, stored, or used. Inspectors also found food in poor condition or adulterated, inadequate shellfish records, and no consumer advisory.
Dixie Belles Cafe on South Orange Avenue accumulated eight high-severity violations. Inspectors cited the restaurant not only for improper handwashing technique, but also for inadequate handwashing by food employees, meaning workers were not washing hands at all in some instances. The facility also had no allergen awareness demonstrated, a citation that signals staff cannot reliably identify or communicate ingredient risks to customers.
Moa Kai Diner on East Colonial Drive recorded eight high-severity violations including inadequate shellfish traceability records, parasite destruction procedures not followed, time as a public health control not properly used, and toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled.
Sazoncito Latin Food on South Semoran Boulevard was cited for six high-severity violations, including food from unapproved sources, improperly stored toxic chemicals, no consumer advisory, and improper sewage or wastewater disposal as an intermediate violation.
La Granja Chicken Steak and Seafood on South Alafaya Trail drew seven high-severity violations. Inspectors found no person in charge present, food from unapproved sources, food not cooked to required temperatures, and improper sewage or wastewater disposal. No consumer advisory was posted.
Burntwood Tavern on Doctor Phillips Boulevard also recorded seven high-severity violations. Among them: inadequate handwashing facilities, meaning the physical infrastructure for hand hygiene was insufficient, along with food not cooked to required temperatures, inadequate shellfish records, and toxic substances improperly identified, stored, or used. Inspectors also cited improper sewage or wastewater disposal.
Juicy Bites on Apopka Vineland Road had the lightest violation profile of any facility in this week's high-severity list, with one high-severity citation for improperly cleaned food contact surfaces and one intermediate ventilation violation.
What These Violations Mean
The most common high-severity violation this week, appearing at eleven of the fifteen facilities, was improperly cleaned or sanitized food contact surfaces. Surfaces that appear clean can carry live bacteria within hours of use. Cutting boards, prep tables, and utensils that are not properly sanitized between uses become direct transfer points for pathogens moving from raw proteins to ready-to-eat food, a mechanism behind some of the most severe foodborne illness clusters.
Six facilities this week, including Spicy Girl, Sickies Burgers and Brews, Pollos a la Brasa Pio Pio, and Sazoncito Latin Food, were cited for food from unapproved or unknown sources. When food enters a kitchen through unregulated channels, it has bypassed federal inspection systems designed to catch contamination at the source. If a customer gets sick, investigators have no supply chain to trace.
The cluster of employee illness reporting failures at Spicy Girl, Red Lobster, Sickies Burgers and Brews, Juicy Crab, Dixie Belles Cafe, and Pollos a la Brasa Pio Pio represents a direct transmission risk. Norovirus, the most common cause of foodborne illness outbreaks in restaurant settings, spreads through contact with an infected worker. A written health policy and a culture of reporting are the primary barriers. When both are absent, as they were at Spicy Girl, Sickies, Pollos, Wing Shack, La Granja, and others this week, that barrier does not exist.
Toxic chemical storage violations appeared at five facilities this week: Persis Indian Grill, Juicy Crab, Pollos a la Brasa Pio Pio, Wing Shack, Dixie Belles Cafe, Moa Kai Diner, and Burntwood Tavern. Chemicals stored near food or mislabeled can contaminate food directly or be mistaken for food-safe products. The risk is not theoretical: chemical contamination of food causes acute poisoning, and mislabeled cleaning agents have been implicated in mass-casualty incidents at food service operations.
The Longer Record
Wing Shack on Michigan Street has the longest inspection history of any facility cited this week, with 40 prior inspections on record. Despite that history, inspectors found eight high-severity violations this week including two separate toxic substance citations. Sazoncito Latin Food has 36 prior inspections on record and still drew six high-severity violations, including food from unapproved sources and improper sewage disposal. Juicy Crab, which was emergency-closed for pest activity, has 35 prior inspections behind it.
Pesaro's Pizza has 33 prior inspections and nine high-severity violations this week. Burntwood Tavern and Moa Kai Diner each sit at 33 and 32 prior inspections respectively, both with eight high-severity violations. Red Lobster at 5936 International Drive has 31 prior inspections and still lacked parasite destruction procedures and proper shellfish traceability records.
Dixie Belles Cafe, with 38 prior inspections, was cited this week for inadequate handwashing by food employees and no allergen awareness demonstrated, two violations that reflect not just a missed procedure but a gap in staff training that 38 inspections have not resolved.
Sickies Burgers and Brews, with only 13 prior inspections, is the newest facility on this week's list and already accumulated 10 high-severity violations. That includes food from unapproved sources, parasite destruction failures, and no employee health policy.
Juicy Bites, with 24 prior inspections, drew only one high-severity violation this week. Whether that marks genuine improvement in kitchen practice or a lighter inspection scope is not reflected in this week's records.
