ORLANDO, FL. Martin Cafeteria Main on Sand Lake Road drew 17 high-severity violations in a single inspection during the week of May 14, the highest count among 15 Orlando-area restaurants cited for serious health code failures that week.
Inspectors at the cafeteria documented food sourced from unapproved or unknown suppliers, food in poor or adulterated condition, no employee health policy, employees not reporting illness symptoms, inadequate handwashing facilities, and improper handwashing technique. The person in charge was either absent or not performing duties during the visit.
That last finding matters in context. When no one is actively managing food safety during an inspection, the problems documented are not isolated mistakes. They are a snapshot of how the kitchen runs.
The Violations
Miller's Orlando Ale House on Kirkman Road drew 11 high-severity violations, second only to the cafeteria. Inspectors cited the restaurant for failing to follow parasite destruction procedures for fish, not cooking food to required minimum temperatures, and operating without a consumer advisory for raw or undercooked items.
Tabla Orlando on Grand National Drive followed with 10 high-severity findings. The violations there included food from unapproved sources, inadequate shellstock identification records, food not cooked to required temperatures, and no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods.
Oceanaire Seafood Room on International Drive accumulated 9 high-severity violations, with inspectors noting the person in charge was absent or not performing duties, employees not reporting illness symptoms, food from unapproved sources, inadequate shellstock records, undercooking, and no consumer advisory.
Ocean Buffet on East Colonial Drive drew 8 high-severity violations, among them food from unapproved sources, inadequate shellstock records, undercooking, and toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled near food.
Kosher Grill on International Drive also reached 8 high-severity violations, including no employee health policy, no handwashing facilities, food from unapproved sources, inadequate shellstock records, and failure to follow parasite destruction procedures.
Caravan on South Orange Avenue was cited for 8 high-severity violations covering no employee health policy, employees not reporting illness symptoms, food from unapproved sources, improperly stored chemicals, and no allergen awareness demonstrated.
Crazy Buffet on West Colonial Drive matched that count, with inspectors flagging no employee health policy, inadequate handwashing facilities, food from unapproved sources, improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, and toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled.
China Tea on Universal Boulevard drew 8 high-severity violations that included failure to follow parasite destruction procedures, inadequate shellstock records, undercooking, and no consumer advisory.
@ The Diner on Universal Boulevard, steps away from China Tea, also reached 8 high-severity violations, with food from unapproved sources, food in poor or adulterated condition, inadequate shellstock records, parasite destruction failures, undercooking, and no consumer advisory.
Sushi Lolas on Corrine Drive was cited for 8 high-severity violations including employees not reporting illness symptoms, improperly stored toxic chemicals, no allergen awareness, and no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked items.
Summerhouse Restaurant and Market on Jeff Fuqua Boulevard drew 7 high-severity violations. Inspectors noted the person in charge was absent or not performing duties, no handwashing facilities, undercooking, no consumer advisory, no allergen awareness, and a separate intermediate violation for improper sewage or wastewater disposal.
China Wok on East Colonial Drive was cited for 7 high-severity violations including employees not reporting illness symptoms, inadequate shellstock records, no allergen awareness, and improperly cleaned multi-use utensils.
La Parada Restaurant on West Oak Ridge Road rounded out the list with 7 high-severity violations: employees not washing hands adequately, no handwashing facilities, improper technique, food in poor or adulterated condition, improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, no consumer advisory, no allergen awareness, and improper sewage disposal.
A&T Buffalo Wings LLC on North Pinehills Road drew 3 high-severity violations but added 7 intermediate citations, including improper sewage disposal, improperly sanitized equipment, inadequate cooling equipment, and single-use items being reused.
What These Violations Mean
The most widespread high-severity finding this week was improper handwashing technique, cited at Martin Cafeteria, Miller's Ale House, Tabla, Oceanaire, Ocean Buffet, Kosher Grill, Caravan, Crazy Buffet, China Tea, Sushi Lolas, China Wok, and La Parada. This is not a paperwork violation. Hands that are washed incorrectly carry the same pathogens as hands that are not washed at all, and those pathogens, including Norovirus and Salmonella, transfer directly to food. At La Parada, inspectors also cited employees for not washing hands at all, which compounds the technique failure at the same facility.
Food from unapproved or unknown sources, flagged at Martin Cafeteria, Tabla, Oceanaire, Ocean Buffet, Kosher Grill, Caravan, Crazy Buffet, and @ The Diner, means that if a customer gets sick, investigators cannot trace the food back to its origin. It also means the product bypassed the USDA and FDA inspection systems that screen for Listeria, Salmonella, and other pathogens before food reaches a kitchen.
Shellstock identification failures at Tabla, Oceanaire, Ocean Buffet, Kosher Grill, China Tea, @ The Diner, and China Wok are a specific version of the same traceability problem. Oysters, clams, and mussels are often consumed raw. Without harvest tags and records on file, there is no way to link a shellfish-related illness to a specific harvest lot, supplier, or contaminated water body.
Toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled, documented at Ocean Buffet, Caravan, Crazy Buffet, and Sushi Lolas, represents a direct poisoning risk. Cleaning compounds stored near or above food prep surfaces can contaminate food through spillage or mislabeling. At a buffet or high-volume restaurant, the exposure path to customers is short.
The Longer Record
Crazy Buffet carries the longest inspection history of any facility in this week's data, with 41 prior inspections on record, and this week still drew 8 high-severity violations. A facility that has been inspected 41 times and continues accumulating critical findings is not a facility that has failed to understand the rules.
Kosher Grill has 37 prior inspections and produced 8 high-severity violations this week, including the same food-sourcing and shellstock failures that appear across multiple visits in its record. Miller's Orlando Ale House has 33 prior inspections, and Tabla Orlando has 32. Both drew among the highest violation counts this week.
Caravan has 29 prior inspections. A&T Buffalo Wings has 28, as do Sushi Lolas, China Wok, La Parada Restaurant, and @ The Diner. None of these are new operations encountering inspectors for the first time.
The outlier in the other direction is Ocean Buffet on East Colonial Drive. With only 3 prior inspections on record, it is among the newest facilities in this week's data, and it produced 8 high-severity violations including food from unapproved sources, shellstock failures, undercooking, and improperly stored chemicals. Summerhouse Restaurant and Market has 9 prior inspections and drew 7 high-severity violations plus an intermediate sewage disposal citation.
Ocean Buffet's 8 high-severity violations in only its third inspection cycle remain unresolved in the public record.