ORLANDO, FL. Uncle Julio's Mexican From Scratch on International Drive drew 10 high-severity violations during a single inspection the week of October 2, the highest single-facility count among 15 Orlando restaurants cited for serious food safety failures that week.
Inspectors at Uncle Julio's documented a facility operating without an active person in charge performing duties, no written employee health policy, employees not reporting illness symptoms, and food not cooked to required minimum temperatures. They also cited the restaurant for failing to follow parasite destruction procedures, improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, improper use of time as a public health control, and no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked items.
The Violations
Juicy Crab on International Drive accumulated 8 high-severity and 6 intermediate violations. Among the most serious: inspectors cited the restaurant for obtaining food from unapproved or unknown sources, failing to cook food to required minimum temperatures, and improperly storing or identifying toxic substances.
Juicy Crab also had no written employee health policy, no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods, and documented failures in handwashing technique. The food-from-unapproved-sources citation is among the most consequential an inspector can write, because it means there is no paper trail if a customer becomes ill.
El Palacio Buffet on South Orange Blossom Trail matched Juicy Crab's violation count with 8 high-severity and 6 intermediate citations. Inspectors found the buffet operating with no active person in charge, no employee health policy, employees not reporting illness, improper handwashing technique, improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, and two separate chemical storage violations: toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled, and toxic substances improperly identified or used.
Huong Viet Restaurant on West Colonial Drive was cited for 8 high-severity violations including food from an unapproved source, failure to cook food to required temperatures, improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, improper handwashing technique, and no allergen awareness demonstrated. The allergen citation is notable: it means inspectors found no evidence that staff could identify or communicate the presence of common allergens to customers.
KC Franchising LLC on Turkey Lake Road drew 8 high-severity violations as well. Inspectors cited no person in charge, no employee health policy, food from unapproved sources, improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, improper use of time as a public health control, no consumer advisory, and improperly stored chemicals.
Rawsha Restaurant on Turkey Lake Road was cited for 8 high-severity violations, including two separate handwashing failures: inadequate handwashing by food employees and improper hand and arm washing technique. Inspectors also found food from unapproved sources, failure to follow parasite destruction procedures, improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, and a citation for not following required procedures for specialized processes.
Cecil's Texas Style Bar-B-Q on South Orange Avenue was cited for food in poor condition, mislabeled, or adulterated, alongside failures to cook food to required temperatures, improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, no consumer advisory, improperly stored chemicals, and an employee not reporting illness symptoms. No person in charge was documented as performing duties during the visit.
Cantina Catrina at the South Orange Blossom Trail mall drew 8 high-severity violations including food from unapproved sources, failure to cook food to required temperatures, no consumer advisory, and two chemical violations: improperly stored or labeled chemicals, and toxic substances improperly identified or used.
Amalfi on Avalon Lake Drive was cited for 7 high-severity violations including inadequate shell stock identification records, no consumer advisory, no allergen awareness, improperly stored or labeled chemicals, toxic substances improperly identified, improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, and improper handwashing technique. The shell stock citation is specific to shellfish: without proper harvest records for oysters, clams, or mussels, there is no way to trace a contamination source if customers fall ill.
Jack and Mary's Restaurant on South Goldenrod Road drew 7 high-severity violations including failure to follow parasite destruction procedures, food contact surfaces not properly cleaned, improper use of time as a public health control, no employee health policy, improper handwashing technique, no consumer advisory, and improperly stored chemicals.
Narita Sushi on South Orange Blossom Trail was cited for 7 high-severity violations including food from unapproved sources, food in poor condition or adulterated, failure to cook food to required temperatures, no employee health policy, employees not reporting illness, improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, and improper handwashing technique.
Eddie V's Restaurant on West Sand Lake Road received 7 high-severity violations with no intermediate violations. The list included failure to follow parasite destruction procedures, failure to cook food to required temperatures, improper use of time as a public health control, an employee not reporting illness symptoms, improper handwashing technique, improperly identified or stored toxic substances, and no allergen awareness demonstrated.
Ahmed Indian Restaurant near UCF on University Boulevard, Sushi Yummy at the South Orange Blossom Trail mall, and Thai Thani on West Sand Lake Road each drew fewer high-severity citations. Ahmed Indian was cited for 3 high-severity violations including improperly stored chemicals. Sushi Yummy drew 2 high-severity violations alongside an intermediate citation for improper sewage or wastewater disposal. Thai Thani had no high-severity violations but was cited for improperly cleaned multi-use utensils and inadequate ventilation.
What These Violations Mean
The most pervasive violation type this week was the absence of a written employee health policy, cited at Uncle Julio's, Juicy Crab, El Palacio Buffet, Huong Viet, KC Franchising, Cantina Catrina, Jack and Mary's, and Narita Sushi. Without a written policy, there is no documented mechanism requiring a sick employee to stay home or report symptoms to management. Norovirus, which causes roughly 20 million illnesses in the United States each year, spreads most efficiently through a food worker who handles food while infected. The policy is the paper barrier between one sick employee and dozens of sick customers.
The food-from-unapproved-sources violation, documented at Juicy Crab, Huong Viet, KC Franchising, Rawsha, Cantina Catrina, and Narita Sushi, carries a specific traceability problem. Food purchased outside licensed, inspected suppliers bypasses USDA and FDA safety inspections. If a customer becomes ill and investigators need to trace the contamination back to a harvest site or processing facility, there is no record to follow.
Parasite destruction failures at Uncle Julio's, Rawsha, Jack and Mary's, and Eddie V's represent a different category of risk. Fish served raw or undercooked, including sushi and ceviche preparations, must be frozen to specific temperatures for specific durations to kill parasites such as Anisakis. When that process is not documented or not followed, parasites can survive into the finished dish.
The dual allergen citations at Huong Viet, Amalfi, and Eddie V's flag a gap that can produce acute medical emergencies. Food allergies affect 32 million Americans, and allergic reactions account for roughly 30,000 emergency room visits annually. When staff cannot identify which dishes contain common allergens, a customer with a severe allergy has no reliable way to make a safe choice.
The Longer Record
El Palacio Buffet has 60 prior inspections on record, the longest history of any facility cited this week. That volume of prior inspections makes this week's 8 high-severity violations, including two chemical storage citations and an absent person in charge, a data point in a long-running pattern rather than an isolated incident.
Ahmed Indian Restaurant has 49 prior inspections on record and was cited this week for improperly stored chemicals alongside food contact surface and consumer advisory failures. Sushi Yummy has 39 prior inspections and still drew a sewage disposal citation this week alongside two high-severity violations. Huong Viet Restaurant has 38 prior inspections, and inspectors still found food from unapproved sources and no allergen awareness on this visit.
Rawsha Restaurant presents the opposite situation. With only 8 prior inspections on record, it is among the newest facilities in this week's data, yet it accumulated 8 high-severity violations including two handwashing failures, a food-from-unapproved-sources citation, and a specialized process violation. That is a significant violation load early in an establishment's inspection history.
Juicy Crab has 37 prior inspections and drew a food-from-unapproved-sources citation this week alongside toxic substance violations. The food sourcing violation at a facility with that many inspections on record is the kind of finding that raises questions about what prior visits documented in the same category.
