ORLANDO, FL. China Lee on South Kirkman Road has been inspected 76 times by state regulators, more than any other facility in this week's roundup, and yet inspectors arriving this week found no person in charge on duty, employees washing their hands improperly, food contact surfaces that had not been properly cleaned or sanitized, and an intermediate violation for improper sewage or wastewater disposal. That is 7 high-severity citations at a restaurant whose inspection history stretches back further than almost any other location in Orange County.
It was not the only troubling finding of the week.
The Violations
China Garden on Conroy Windermere Road and Bikkuri Sushi Noodle and Grill on East Colonial Drive tied for the week's highest violation count, each drawing 11 high-severity citations. At China Garden, inspectors documented that the restaurant had no employee health policy, that employees were not reporting illness symptoms, and that parasite destruction procedures for fish were not being followed. They also cited food from unapproved or unknown sources and inadequate shellfish identification records.
Bikkuri Sushi's list was nearly identical, with one additional finding: no person in charge was present or performing duties during the inspection. That management failure compounds every other violation on the list, because no one in authority was present to correct problems as inspectors documented them.
Citrus Club on South Orange Avenue collected 10 high-severity violations, including no employee health policy, employees not reporting illness symptoms, parasite destruction failures, and improper use of time as a public health control. The club also had no consumer advisory posted for raw or undercooked foods.
Libra and Bar Libra on South Orange Avenue, two blocks from Citrus Club, drew 9 high-severity violations. Inspectors found food from unapproved sources, food not cooked to the required minimum temperature, and no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked items. Time as a public health control was also cited as improperly used.
Old Cuban Cafe on North Goldenrod Road matched that count with 9 high-severity citations of its own, including inadequate handwashing facilities, food not cooked to required minimum temperature, and toxic substances improperly identified, stored, or used. Inspectors also found no employee health policy and no person in charge on the premises.
Oh Que Bueno Restaurant Grill and Bar on South Semoran also reached 9 high-severity violations. Two separate toxic chemical citations appeared in the report: toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled, and toxic substances improperly identified, stored, or used. Inspectors also documented food from unapproved sources and food contact surfaces that had not been properly cleaned or sanitized.
Nature's Table at 300 South Orange Avenue drew 8 high-severity violations, including inadequate handwashing facilities, food from unapproved sources, parasite destruction failures, no allergen awareness demonstrated, and no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods.
Mi Ranchito Oaxaqueno on North Chickasaw Trail was cited for 7 high-severity violations, among them no person in charge, employees not reporting illness symptoms, no allergen awareness demonstrated, and no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods.
Los Ameca's Restaurante y Taqueria on South Orange Avenue also drew 7 high-severity violations, including inadequate handwashing facilities, toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled, and no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods. Inspectors found no person in charge at the time of the visit.
Negril Jamaican Restaurant on Silver Star Road was cited for 7 high-severity violations, including no person in charge, toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled, and food contact surfaces not properly cleaned or sanitized. An intermediate violation for inadequate cooling and cold-holding equipment also appeared in the report.
Marriott Orlando Downtown on West Livingston Street drew 5 high-severity violations, including food contaminated by chemical, physical, or biological hazards, food from unapproved sources, and food not cooked to required minimum temperature. No consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods was posted.
Charley's Philly Steaks on North Alafaya Trail and City Beautiful Cafe on South Orange Avenue each drew fewer than 5 high-severity violations but were still cited for serious issues. Charley's had toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled and an intermediate violation for improper sewage or wastewater disposal. City Beautiful Cafe had no employee health policy, employees not reporting illness symptoms, and toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled.
Flyers Wings and Grill on West Colonial Drive drew 3 high-severity violations, including improper handwashing technique and food not cooked to required minimum temperature.
What These Violations Mean
The most frequently cited violation this week, appearing at China Garden, Bikkuri Sushi, Citrus Club, Old Cuban Cafe, Mi Ranchito Oaxaqueno, Negril Jamaican Restaurant, Nature's Table, City Beautiful Cafe, and others, was the absence of a written employee health policy combined with employees not reporting illness symptoms. These two violations travel together because they reflect the same underlying failure: no system exists to keep sick workers away from food. Norovirus, which causes the majority of foodborne illness outbreaks in the United States, spreads primarily through infected food handlers who continue working while symptomatic.
Parasite destruction failures, documented at China Garden, Citrus Club, and Nature's Table, represent a different but equally concrete 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 step is skipped, the parasites survive into the finished dish.
Food from unapproved or unknown sources, cited at China Garden, Bikkuri Sushi, the Marriott Orlando Downtown, Libra and Bar Libra, Oh Que Bueno, and Nature's Table, strips away the traceability that makes outbreak investigation possible. When a customer gets sick, regulators trace the illness back through the supply chain to identify contaminated product and pull it from shelves. Food that entered a restaurant through an unverified channel cannot be traced. The source, and any other customers who may have received the same product, cannot be identified.
Toxic chemical violations at Old Cuban Cafe, Oh Que Bueno, Los Ameca's, Negril Jamaican Restaurant, Charley's Philly Steaks, and City Beautiful Cafe point to a hazard that is immediate rather than cumulative. Cleaning products and sanitizers stored near or above food preparation surfaces can contaminate food directly if they spill or are mislabeled and mistaken for a food-safe substance. Chemical poisoning from this route does not require repeated exposure.
The Longer Record
China Lee's 76 prior inspections make it the most-inspected facility in this week's roundup by a wide margin. Seventy-six visits, and inspectors this week still found no person in charge, improperly washed hands, unclean food contact surfaces, and improper sewage disposal. The volume of prior inspections at a facility is not an accusation, but it is a fact: the problems documented this week are not new problems at a location regulators are seeing for the first time.
Libra and Bar Libra, with 37 prior inspections on record, and Bikkuri Sushi, with 33, also carry substantial inspection histories. Both drew 9 or more high-severity violations this week. Citrus Club and Negril Jamaican Restaurant each have 30 prior inspections on record. Old Cuban Cafe has 29, as does Los Ameca's. Oh Que Bueno has 27.
At the opposite end of the spectrum, Mi Ranchito Oaxaqueno has only 7 prior inspections on record, making it among the newest locations in this week's group. Seven inspections in and the restaurant already has 7 high-severity violations in a single visit, including no person in charge, no allergen awareness, and employees not reporting illness symptoms.
City Beautiful Cafe, with 9 prior inspections, is also a relatively new entrant to the inspection record. Its 4 high-severity violations this week, including no employee health policy and toxic chemicals improperly stored, suggest the foundational systems that prevent foodborne illness were never put in place.
Nature's Table, with 22 prior inspections, drew 8 high-severity violations this week including inadequate handwashing facilities. A facility cannot maintain proper hand hygiene if the physical infrastructure to do so is absent, and 22 inspections is enough time for that problem to have been resolved.
Mi Ranchito Oaxaqueno's allergen awareness violation remains on the record without a documented correction this week.
