OSCEOLA COUNTY, FL. Inspectors cited Cypress Cove Restaurant on South Pleasant Hill Road for eight high-severity violations during the week of July 13, including food sourced from unapproved or unknown suppliers, toxic substances improperly stored, no handwashing facilities adequate for staff use, and no person in charge present or performing duties during the inspection.
That single inspection stood as the county's worst of the week. Thirty-nine inspections were conducted across 36 facilities in Osceola County between July 13 and July 19, and 12 of those facilities accumulated two or more high-severity violations.
The Violations
Cypress Cove also operates a pool bar at the same address on South Pleasant Hill Road. Cypress Cove Pool Bar drew its own four high-severity citations during the same inspection period, including no person in charge present, employees not reporting illness symptoms, food contact surfaces not properly cleaned or sanitized, and required procedures for specialized processes not followed. Two locations on one property, twelve combined high-severity violations between them.
Rico Chino Asian Cuisine 2 on East Osceola Parkway in Kissimmee collected seven high-severity violations. Inspectors cited the restaurant for employees not reporting illness symptoms, improper handwashing technique, food from unapproved or unknown sources, food contact surfaces not properly cleaned or sanitized, improper use of time as a public health control, no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods, and toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled.
Chirico on West Vine Street in Kissimmee drew five high-severity and five intermediate violations. The high-severity citations included no employee health policy, improper handwashing technique, inadequate shellfish identification records, parasite destruction procedures not followed, and food contact surfaces not properly cleaned. Inspectors also cited the restaurant for improper sewage or wastewater disposal, multi-use utensils not properly cleaned, and improper sanitizer solutions.
Not a Clue Bar and Grill on Alligator Lake Shore West in St. Cloud was cited for five high-severity violations: inadequate handwashing by food employees, food in poor condition or adulterated, food contact surfaces not properly cleaned or sanitized, no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods, and required procedures for specialized processes not followed.
China Gourmet on Dyer Boulevard in Kissimmee also reached five high-severity violations. Inspectors flagged the restaurant for no employee health policy, improper handwashing technique, food from unapproved or unknown sources, food contact surfaces not properly cleaned, and improper use of time as a public health control.
China Wok on North John Young Parkway in Kissimmee matched that count. Its five high-severity citations included no employee health policy, improper handwashing technique, food contact surfaces not properly cleaned, no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods, and toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled.
Lazy Dog Restaurant and Bar on West Irlo Bronson Memorial Highway in Kissimmee was cited for four high-severity violations: no employee health policy, improper handwashing technique, improper use of time as a public health control, and toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled.
MD Central Florida LLC on Osceola Parkway in Kissimmee drew four high-severity violations as well. Inspectors found food not cooked to the required minimum temperature, improper use of time as a public health control, no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods, and toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled. Intermediate violations included improper sewage or wastewater disposal and inadequate toilet facilities.
Cow Restaurant on Chaps Place in Kissimmee was cited for four high-severity violations, including no person in charge present or performing duties and no adequate handwashing facilities. Piocos Chicken on Boggy Creek Road in Saint Cloud drew three high-severity violations, including no allergen awareness demonstrated by staff and food contact surfaces not properly cleaned or sanitized. La Brasa Cocina Mexicana on East Irlo Bronson Memorial Highway in Saint Cloud received one high-severity violation for no employee health policy.
What These Violations Mean
Food from unapproved or unknown sources, cited at Cypress Cove Restaurant, Rico Chino Asian Cuisine 2, and China Gourmet, is among the most difficult violations to remediate quickly. When a restaurant cannot document where its food came from, there is no chain of traceability if a customer gets sick. Contaminated product cannot be recalled, other purchasers cannot be warned, and investigators cannot identify the source of an outbreak.
Employee illness policies, absent at Cypress Cove Restaurant, Chirico, China Gourmet, China Wok, La Brasa Cocina Mexicana, and Lazy Dog Restaurant and Bar, are the foundational control against Norovirus transmission. Norovirus spreads person-to-person through a route that begins with a sick food handler and ends with every plate that employee touches. A written policy is not paperwork. It is the mechanism that keeps a symptomatic employee out of the kitchen.
Improper handwashing technique, a separate violation from having inadequate facilities, was cited at Rico Chino Asian Cuisine 2, Chirico, China Gourmet, China Wok, Lazy Dog Restaurant and Bar, and Piocos Chicken. The distinction matters: a facility can have functioning sinks and still have employees who do not wash long enough, thoroughly enough, or at the right moments. Studies show that even brief lapses in technique leave significant pathogen loads on hands.
Toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled, cited at Rico Chino Asian Cuisine 2, China Wok, Lazy Dog Restaurant and Bar, and MD Central Florida LLC, represents a direct poisoning risk. Chemicals stored near or above food prep surfaces can contaminate food through spills, drips, or mislabeled containers. Unlike bacterial contamination, chemical contamination produces symptoms within minutes to hours and cannot be mitigated by thorough cooking.
The Longer Record
The two Cypress Cove properties sit at the same address on South Pleasant Hill Road, and together they accumulated twelve high-severity violations across two inspections in a single week. Cypress Cove Restaurant's eight high-severity citations included the absence of an employee health policy, no adequate handwashing facilities, and food from unapproved sources. That the pool bar at the same location drew its own four high-severity violations the same week suggests the management failures at the main restaurant extended to every food service operation on the property.
Chirico on West Vine Street drew a combined ten violations across the high and intermediate categories, including a shellfish traceability failure and parasite destruction procedures not followed. Those two violations together indicate the restaurant is serving high-risk raw or lightly cooked seafood without the documentation to trace it and without the freezing protocols required to kill parasites. That combination is not an administrative oversight.
Not a Clue Bar and Grill in St. Cloud was cited for food in poor condition or adulterated, a violation that inspectors reserve for product that is spoiled, contaminated, or otherwise unfit for service. That citation appeared alongside four other high-severity findings, including inadequate handwashing and required procedures for specialized processes not followed.
MD Central Florida LLC on Osceola Parkway was the only facility this week cited specifically for food not cooked to the required minimum temperature, the violation most directly linked to Salmonella survival in poultry. That finding appeared alongside improper sewage disposal and inadequate toilet facilities, a combination that signals infrastructure problems beyond the kitchen line.
