ORLANDO, FL. Slap Hand Ripped Noodles on Carrier Drive drew nine high-severity violations during the week of August 29, including a citation for failing to follow parasite destruction procedures on fish, a failure to cook food to required minimum temperatures, and no consumer advisory posted for customers ordering raw or undercooked dishes.
That was not the only restaurant with nine high-severity violations that week. Inspectors also cited Fu Hua Chinese Restaurant on South Goldenrod Road, Knights Curry Express on University Boulevard, and Taco Kat on South Court Avenue with the same tally. Across all fifteen facilities flagged this week, inspectors recorded a combined 97 high-severity violations in seven days.
What Inspectors Found
Fu Hua's nine violations included no person in charge present or performing duties, no employee health policy, an employee not reporting illness symptoms, improper handwashing technique, improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods, toxic chemicals improperly stored, and no allergen awareness demonstrated. That is eight distinct categories of failure in a single visit.
Knights Curry Express on University Boulevard added a violation that stood apart from the rest of the week's findings: food from an unapproved or unknown source. Inspectors also cited the restaurant for inadequate handwashing, improper handwashing technique, parasite destruction failures, improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, and food not cooked to required minimum temperatures, alongside a missing employee illness reporting system and no person in charge.
Taco Kat on South Court Avenue was cited for inadequate handwashing facilities, meaning the infrastructure to wash hands properly was not in place, not just that employees skipped the step. The restaurant also drew violations for unapproved food sources, undercooked food, no consumer advisory, and improperly stored toxic chemicals.
Saigon Noodle and Bistro on South Goldenrod Road accumulated the most combined violations of any facility this week, with eight high-severity and six intermediate citations. Inspectors flagged unapproved food sources, improper handwashing technique, improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, undercooked food, no consumer advisory, improperly stored toxic chemicals, no employee health policy, and no allergen awareness.
Chi Kin on North Mills Avenue drew a citation for improper sewage or wastewater disposal alongside six other high-severity findings, including inadequate shell stock identification, parasite destruction failures, unapproved food sources, and improperly stored toxic chemicals.
Lotus Garden on Dr. Phillips Boulevard was cited for time as a public health control not properly used, meaning food was held in the temperature danger zone without a documented time-tracking system in place to limit exposure.
El Rinconcito Restaurant and Bar on Butler National Drive drew a violation for food in poor condition, mislabeled, or adulterated, one of only two facilities this week to receive that citation. Inspectors also flagged the restaurant for unapproved food sources and inadequate shell stock identification records.
Charleys Philly Steaks on South Kirkman Road also received a food-in-poor-condition citation alongside a finding that food was not cooked to required minimum temperatures and that shell stock identification records were inadequate.
Arcade Time Entertainment on International Drive, which serves food as part of an entertainment venue, was cited for parasite destruction failures, undercooked food, improperly used time as a public health control, no consumer advisory, and toxic substances improperly identified or stored.
Kres Restaurant on West Church Street drew seven high-severity violations including no allergen awareness, unapproved food sources, improperly used time controls, and improper handwashing technique.
Castle Irish Pub and Restaurant on Edgewater Drive was cited for two separate toxic substance violations, one for improperly stored or labeled chemicals and one for toxic substances improperly identified or stored or used. Inspectors also found no person in charge and food not cooked to required minimum temperatures.
Shakai on East Pine Street and Sally's Diner on East Colonial Drive each received two high-severity violations, the lowest totals among facilities flagged this week. Winghouse Bar and Grill on South Kirkman Road received zero high-severity violations and a single intermediate citation for reusing single-use items.
What These Violations Mean
Six of the fifteen facilities this week, including Knights Curry Express, Taco Kat, Saigon Noodle and Bistro, Chi Kin, Lotus Garden, El Rinconcito, Charleys Philly Steaks, and Kres Restaurant, were cited for food from unapproved or unknown sources. When food bypasses USDA or FDA inspection, there is no traceability system in place if a customer gets sick. An outbreak investigator cannot trace a Listeria or Salmonella case back to a farm, a processor, or a distributor if the restaurant has no documentation of where the food came from.
Eight facilities this week were cited for employees not reporting symptoms of illness, or for having no written employee health policy at all. These two violations work together. Without a policy, workers have no formal instruction to stay home when sick, and without a reporting requirement, a symptomatic employee can handle ready-to-eat food without anyone in management knowing. Norovirus, the leading cause of foodborne illness outbreaks in restaurants, spreads directly through that route.
Parasite destruction failures appeared at Slap Hand Ripped Noodles, Knights Curry Express, Chi Kin, and Arcade Time Entertainment. When fish is served raw or undercooked, proper freezing at specific temperatures for specific durations is the only barrier between the customer and parasites including Anisakis and tapeworm. Skipping or improperly documenting that step eliminates that barrier entirely.
Improperly stored or labeled toxic chemicals appeared at Fu Hua, Taco Kat, Saigon Noodle and Bistro, Chi Kin, Lotus Garden, Castle Irish Pub, and Shakai. A chemical stored above a food prep surface or placed in an unlabeled container can contaminate food without any visible sign. The customer has no way to detect it.
The Longer Record
Slap Hand Ripped Noodles has 43 prior inspections on record, the longest history of any facility cited this week. Nine high-severity violations at a location that has been inspected that many times is not a new restaurant working through startup problems. The inspection record is there; the violations are still accumulating.
Saigon Noodle and Bistro has 35 prior inspections on record, as does Sally's Diner. Fu Hua Chinese Restaurant has 32, and El Rinconcito has 31. These are not first-time encounters with state inspectors, and the violations documented this week, including unapproved food sources, improper handwashing, and toxic chemical storage, are not obscure technical requirements.
Knights Curry Express has only 19 prior inspections on record, and Taco Kat has 11. Both are among the newer facilities in this week's data, and both drew nine high-severity violations. Taco Kat's citation for inadequate handwashing facilities means the physical infrastructure was not present, not simply that a procedure was skipped.
Lotus Garden has 16 prior inspections on record and seven high-severity violations this week, including food from unapproved sources and improperly cleaned food contact surfaces. Winghouse Bar and Grill, by contrast, has 56 prior inspections on record and passed this week with zero high-severity violations and a single intermediate citation.
Arcade Time Entertainment on International Drive has 27 prior inspections on record. The facility serves food as part of an entertainment venue on a corridor that draws heavy tourist traffic, and this week's record includes parasite destruction failures and food not cooked to required minimum temperatures, with no consumer advisory posted for customers who may have ordered dishes affected by either of those violations.
