AVE MARIA, FL. A state inspection of Pub and Grille and Bean of Ave Maria at 5068 Annunciation Circle on September 21 turned up food sourced from unapproved or unknown suppliers, employees not reporting illness symptoms, and toxic chemicals stored improperly near food areas, all in the same visit. Inspectors logged seven high-severity violations and two intermediate violations. The restaurant was not closed.
What Inspectors Found
The food sourcing violation is among the most consequential on the list. Inspectors cited the restaurant for obtaining food from unapproved or unknown sources, meaning some of what was served that day could not be traced back to a USDA or FDA-inspected supplier.
The employee illness reporting violation compounds that concern. State records show workers were not following the requirement to report symptoms of illness to management before handling food, a step that exists specifically to stop contagious pathogens from reaching customers through direct food contact.
Improperly stored or labeled toxic chemicals rounded out a trio of violations that, taken together, describe a kitchen where multiple basic safeguards were not in place at the same time. The restaurant also drew citations for improper handwashing technique, food contact surfaces not properly cleaned or sanitized, improper use of time as a public health control, and no consumer advisory posted for raw or undercooked menu items.
What These Violations Mean
The employee illness reporting violation is the one public health officials most consistently identify as a driver of mass outbreaks. When a food worker with norovirus, salmonella, or hepatitis A continues to handle food without disclosing symptoms, every plate that leaves the kitchen becomes a potential transmission route. The violation cited at Pub and Grille on September 21 means that system was not functioning.
The unapproved food source citation carries a different but equally serious risk. Food that enters a restaurant through channels outside the regulated supply chain has not been inspected for Listeria, Salmonella, or other pathogens. If someone becomes ill after eating there, investigators have no supplier records to trace.
Improperly stored toxic chemicals near food preparation areas can cause acute poisoning through direct contamination of food or food-contact surfaces. Mislabeled chemicals are a separate hazard: a worker who grabs the wrong bottle can apply a sanitizer-strength chemical to a surface where food is being prepared, or dilute a cleaning agent incorrectly, leaving pathogens behind.
The food contact surface and utensil cleaning violations add a cross-contamination dimension. Surfaces and multi-use utensils that are not properly sanitized can transfer bacteria from raw proteins to ready-to-eat food. Bacterial biofilms, which form on inadequately cleaned utensils within 24 hours, are resistant to standard cleaning once established.
The Longer Record
The September 21 inspection was not an anomaly. State records show 32 inspections on file for Pub and Grille and Bean of Ave Maria, with 240 total violations documented across that history.
High-severity violations have appeared in every single inspection logged in the prior two years. The October 2025 visit produced two high-severity citations. July 2025 produced four. March 2025 produced three. October 2024 produced four. The pattern holds back through 2023 without interruption.
September's tally of seven high-severity violations in a single visit is the steepest single-inspection count in the recent record, but it arrives at a restaurant that has never been emergency-closed despite accumulating violations across more than three dozen visits.
No prior emergency closures appear in the facility's history.
Still Open
Seven high-severity violations in one inspection, at a facility that has logged high-severity citations in every recent visit on record, and the restaurant served customers through the rest of the day.
State inspectors have the authority to order an emergency closure when conditions pose an immediate threat to public health. That order was not issued on September 21 at 5068 Annunciation Circle.
The restaurant remained open.
