ORLANDO, FL. International House of Pancakes at 6005 International Drive drew nine high-severity violations during the week of June 23, the highest single-facility count among 15 Orlando restaurants cited for serious food safety failures in state inspection records.
The IHOP violations covered nearly every layer of food safety: no person in charge performing duties, employees not reporting illness symptoms, inadequate handwashing facilities, improper handwashing technique, food in poor condition, parasite destruction procedures not followed, food not cooked to required minimum temperature, and no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked items. The facility has 23 prior inspections on record.
Carrabba's Italian Grill at 5701 Vineland Road also drew nine high-severity violations. Inspectors cited the restaurant for food from an unapproved or unknown source, parasite destruction failures, improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, toxic chemicals improperly stored, no employee health policy, employees not reporting illness symptoms, improper handwashing technique, and no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods.
The Violations
Elixir Bar Room and Hash House at 9 W. Washington Street drew eight high-severity violations, including food from an unapproved or unknown source, inadequate shell stock identification, improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, no consumer advisory, toxic chemicals improperly stored, required procedures for specialized processes not followed, employees not reporting illness, and improper handwashing technique.
Papparella at 6002 Sand Lake Vista Drive also collected eight high-severity citations. Inspectors noted no person in charge performing duties, inadequate handwashing facilities, inadequate shell stock identification, food not cooked to required minimum temperature, no consumer advisory, toxic chemicals improperly stored, and toxic substances improperly identified or used.
Brewlando at 6820 Hoffner Avenue matched that count with eight high-severity violations of its own: no person in charge, no employee health policy, employees not reporting illness, improper handwashing technique, food not cooked to required minimum temperature, time as a public health control not properly used, no consumer advisory, and toxic substances improperly identified or used.
Taco Rio Mexican Kitchen at 707 S. Semoran Boulevard drew seven high-severity violations and six intermediate ones, the highest combined intermediate count of any facility this week. Among the high-severity findings: no person in charge, no employee health policy, food not cooked to required minimum temperature, toxic chemicals improperly stored, toxic substances improperly identified, no consumer advisory, and no allergen awareness demonstrated. Inspectors also cited the restaurant for improper sewage or wastewater disposal.
Saffron Indian Cuisine at 7724 W. Sand Lake Road drew seven high-severity violations including improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, food not cooked to required minimum temperature, time as a public health control not properly used, improper handwashing technique, no employee health policy, no consumer advisory, and toxic chemicals improperly stored. An intermediate sewage disposal violation was also documented.
Sizler Tandoori LLC at 7511 International Drive received seven high-severity violations, including food from an unapproved or unknown source, food in poor condition, improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, food not cooked to required minimum temperature, time as a public health control not properly used, improper handwashing technique, and no consumer advisory.
The Rest of the Week
Licking Orlando at 4706 Millenia Plaza Way drew six high-severity violations: inadequate shell stock identification, improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, time as a public health control not properly used, no consumer advisory, toxic chemicals improperly stored, and toxic substances improperly identified or used. Inspectors also noted multi-use utensils not properly cleaned and single-use items being reused.
Taqueria Ameca Margarita LLC at 4400 S. Orange Blossom Trail was cited for six high-severity violations including food from an unapproved source, improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, improper handwashing technique, no employee health policy, no consumer advisory, and no allergen awareness demonstrated.
Funny Bone at 9101 International Drive drew six high-severity violations: food from an unapproved source, inadequate shell stock identification, food not cooked to required minimum temperature, time as a public health control not properly used, no consumer advisory, and toxic substances improperly identified or used. Inspectors also cited inadequate toilet facilities.
Wonderful Hand-Pulled Noodle at 8910 Turkey Lake Road was cited for six high-severity violations including no employee health policy, improper handwashing technique, improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, time as a public health control not properly used, no consumer advisory, and no allergen awareness demonstrated.
Kabsah at 9436 S. Orange Blossom Trail drew five high-severity violations and five intermediate ones. High-severity findings included no employee health policy, improper handwashing technique, improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, no consumer advisory, and toxic chemicals improperly stored. Intermediate violations included improper sewage disposal, improper sanitizing solution, and single-use items being reused.
TGI Friday's at 5933 Caravan Court drew two high-severity violations: food contact surfaces not properly cleaned or sanitized, and toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled. Inspectors also cited the restaurant for improper sewage disposal and inadequate ventilation and lighting.
Pinones en Orlando at 1704 Woolco Way was cited for five high-severity violations including no employee health policy, improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, no consumer advisory, toxic chemicals improperly stored, and no allergen awareness demonstrated.
What These Violations Mean
The most common high-severity violation across this week's 15 facilities was the absence of a consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods, cited at 12 of the 15 restaurants. That advisory exists specifically to warn elderly diners, pregnant women, young children, and people with compromised immune systems that certain menu items carry elevated risk. When it is missing, as it was at Carrabba's, IHOP, Papparella, Sizler Tandoori, Saffron Indian Cuisine, and nine other locations this week, those customers have no way to make an informed choice.
The illness-reporting and employee health policy failures documented at IHOP, Carrabba's, Brewlando, Taqueria Ameca Margarita, Kabsah, and others are among the most acutely dangerous violations an inspector can cite. Norovirus, which causes roughly 20 million illnesses in the United States each year, spreads directly from infected food workers to customers. A written health policy is the mechanism that keeps a symptomatic employee out of the kitchen. Without one, there is no documented standard requiring them to stay home.
Food from unapproved or unknown sources, cited at Carrabba's, Elixir Bar Room and Hash House, Sizler Tandoori, Taqueria Ameca Margarita, and Funny Bone, means inspectors could not confirm that the food entered the facility through a USDA or FDA-regulated supply chain. If a customer gets sick, there is no traceability. The supply chain cannot be traced, recalled, or shut down.
Improper sewage or wastewater disposal, documented at Taco Rio, Saffron Indian Cuisine, Kabsah, and TGI Friday's, creates a direct pathway for fecal contamination to reach food preparation surfaces. It is not a maintenance inconvenience. Raw sewage contains E. coli, Hepatitis A, and other pathogens that survive on surfaces.
The Longer Record
Two facilities stand out for the depth of their inspection histories paired with this week's findings. Sizler Tandoori at 7511 International Drive and Elixir Bar Room and Hash House at 9 W. Washington Street each have 46 prior inspections on record, the highest counts among all 15 facilities cited this week. Both drew seven or more high-severity violations in the current inspection period. Forty-six inspections is a long institutional history, and both facilities are still producing high-severity counts.
Saffron Indian Cuisine has 42 prior inspections on record and drew seven high-severity violations this week, including food not cooked to required minimum temperature and time as a public health control not properly used. Kabsah has 37 prior inspections and drew five high-severity violations alongside five intermediate ones, including a sewage disposal failure.
At the other end of the history spectrum, Brewlando has only two prior inspections on record and drew eight high-severity violations this week, including no person in charge, no employee health policy, and food not cooked to required minimum temperature. Papparella has three prior inspections and drew eight high-severity violations. Both are early in their inspection histories and already accumulating serious citations across multiple violation categories.
TGI Friday's on Caravan Court has 32 prior inspections on record. This week's citation for toxic chemicals improperly stored alongside a sewage disposal violation is unresolved in the public record as of the close of the inspection period.
