ORLANDO, FL. Moa Kai Diner on East Colonial Drive and Jack and Mary's Restaurant on South Goldenrod Road each drew eight high-severity violations during the week of August 11, the worst tallies among 15 Orlando-area restaurants cited for serious food safety failures in a single seven-day stretch.
At Moa Kai Diner, inspectors documented that the facility had no written employee health policy, that workers were using improper handwashing technique, and that food was arriving from unapproved or unknown sources. The restaurant also lacked adequate shellfish traceability records, failed to follow parasite destruction procedures for fish, improperly used time as a public health control, had no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods, and stored toxic chemicals improperly.
Jack and Mary's carried an identical high-severity count with a nearly parallel set of failures. Inspectors found no employee health policy, employees not reporting illness symptoms, food from unapproved sources, inadequate shellfish identification records, improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, no consumer advisory, improperly stored toxic chemicals, and no demonstrated allergen awareness.
The Violations
Bar Louie #1409 on North Alafaya Trail drew seven high-severity violations and four intermediate ones, the highest combined total of any facility this week. Inspectors cited the restaurant for having no person in charge present or performing duties, employees not reporting illness symptoms, food from unapproved sources, inadequate shellfish records, failure to follow parasite destruction procedures, improper use of time as a public health control, and no consumer advisory. Sewage or wastewater disposal was also flagged at the intermediate level.
Yummi on South Alafaya Trail also drew seven high-severity violations. No qualified person in charge was present, employees were not reporting illness symptoms, handwashing technique was improper, food contact surfaces were not properly cleaned, time as a public health control was misused, there was no consumer advisory, and toxic chemicals were improperly stored. Inspectors also cited improper sewage or wastewater disposal.
TGI Friday's on Caravan Court was cited for two separate handwashing failures in the same inspection: inadequate handwashing by food employees and improper hand and arm washing technique. The restaurant also drew violations for inadequate shellfish records, improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, misuse of time as a public health control, no consumer advisory, and improperly stored toxic chemicals.
Azteca D' Oro Lake Nona on Narcoossee Road had no person in charge present, employees not reporting illness, improper handwashing technique, food from unapproved sources, improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, misuse of time as a public health control, and improperly stored toxic chemicals.
Hop Bo Chinese Restaurant on Curry Ford Road was cited for improper handwashing technique, inadequate shellfish records, improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, food not cooked to required minimum temperature, misuse of time as a public health control, no consumer advisory, and improperly stored toxic chemicals.
Hong Kong Alley Kitchen on East Colonial Drive drew seven high-severity violations including food in poor condition or adulterated, failure to follow parasite destruction procedures, improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, no consumer advisory, improperly stored toxic chemicals, and no demonstrated allergen awareness. Improper handwashing technique rounded out the list.
Muzzarella on Lake Underhill Road was cited for seven high-severity violations and zero intermediate ones. No person in charge was present, an employee was not reporting illness symptoms, handwashing technique was improper, parasite destruction procedures were not followed, food contact surfaces were improperly cleaned, there was no consumer advisory, and toxic substances were improperly identified, stored, or used.
Rock and Brews on South Semoran Boulevard drew five high-severity violations including an employee not reporting illness symptoms, food from an unapproved source, improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, no consumer advisory, and improperly stored toxic chemicals. The facility also had intermediate violations for sewage disposal and inadequate ventilation.
Made in Puerto Rico Latin Cuisine and Sports Bar on South Semoran Boulevard, located two blocks from Rock and Brews, drew six high-severity violations. Inspectors cited improper handwashing technique, food from an unapproved source, improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, food not cooked to required minimum temperature, no consumer advisory, and improperly stored toxic chemicals.
Sabor Venezolano on Whisper Lakes Boulevard drew six high-severity violations including no person in charge, an employee not reporting illness, improper handwashing technique, inadequate shellfish records, failure to follow parasite destruction procedures, and improperly cleaned food contact surfaces. Inspectors also found inadequate cooling and cold holding equipment at the intermediate level.
Outback Steakhouse on South Semoran Boulevard was cited for six high-severity violations: an employee not reporting illness, food from an unapproved source, inadequate shellfish records, improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, no consumer advisory, and improperly identified or stored toxic substances. The restaurant also drew intermediate violations for sewage disposal and ventilation.
Obsession Pizza on Eagle Watch Drive drew six high-severity violations including no employee health policy, improper handwashing technique, food in poor condition or adulterated, food not cooked to required minimum temperature, no consumer advisory, and improperly identified toxic substances. Multi-use utensils were not properly cleaned, and equipment was found in poor repair.
Crazy Buffet on South Orange Blossom Trail drew five high-severity violations alongside six intermediate ones. Inspectors cited improper handwashing technique, improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, misuse of time as a public health control, no consumer advisory, and improperly identified toxic substances. Intermediate violations included improper sanitizer concentration, inadequate cold holding equipment, and improperly reused single-use items.
What These Violations Mean
The most widespread violation this week was the absence of a consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods, cited at twelve of the fifteen facilities. That notice exists specifically to warn customers who are pregnant, elderly, or immunocompromised that certain menu items carry elevated risk. When it is missing, as it was at Moa Kai Diner, Jack and Mary's, Bar Louie, TGI Friday's, Hop Bo, and seven others, the most vulnerable diners have no way of knowing which items present a higher danger.
Food from unapproved or unknown sources, cited at Rock and Brews, Made in Puerto Rico, Jack and Mary's, Bar Louie, Azteca D' Oro, and Outback Steakhouse, is a traceability problem as much as a safety one. If a customer becomes ill, investigators need to trace the food back through a documented supply chain. When that chain is broken or nonexistent, an outbreak investigation can stall before it identifies the source.
Employee illness reporting failures, cited at Rock and Brews, Bar Louie, Yummi, Azteca D' Oro, Muzzarella, Sabor Venezolano, Outback Steakhouse, and Jack and Mary's, represent the most direct transmission route from a sick worker to a dining room. Norovirus, which causes the majority of foodborne illness outbreaks in restaurant settings, spreads through a single contaminated food handler who has not been excluded from work. The facilities this week that combined no employee health policy with no illness reporting, specifically Moa Kai Diner, Jack and Mary's, and Obsession Pizza, had no documented system in place to catch that risk at any point.
Parasite destruction failures, documented at Moa Kai Diner, Bar Louie, Muzzarella, Sabor Venezolano, and Hong Kong Alley Kitchen, involve fish or other proteins served without the required freezing or cooking protocols that kill Anisakis and other parasites. These are not theoretical hazards. They are the reason the protocols exist.
The Longer Record
Hong Kong Alley Kitchen on East Colonial Drive has 42 prior inspections on record, the longest history of any facility in this week's roundup. That volume of prior inspections did not prevent seven high-severity violations in a single visit, including food in poor condition, no allergen awareness, and failure to follow parasite destruction procedures.
Rock and Brews and Bar Louie each have 39 prior inspections on record. Both drew high-severity violations this week involving food from unapproved sources and employees not reporting illness symptoms. Sabor Venezolano, with 40 prior inspections, was cited this week for six high-severity violations across several of the same categories seen in facilities with far shorter histories.
Obsession Pizza is the newest facility in this week's data, with only three prior inspections on record. It drew six high-severity violations including no employee health policy, food not cooked to minimum temperature, and food in poor condition. A facility three inspections into its operating history already carrying those findings presents a different kind of concern than a repeat violator with decades of record.
Crazy Buffet, with 17 prior inspections, drew the highest number of intermediate violations this week at six, including inadequate cold holding equipment. For a buffet-format restaurant, where food sits in the temperature danger zone for extended periods by design, inadequate cold holding equipment is an unresolved structural problem, not a paperwork gap.
