ORANGE PARK, FL. Food was not cooked to the required minimum temperature at Randevou Caribbean Bar and Grill II on Blanding Boulevard on June 22, a finding that puts Salmonella and other pathogens directly on the plate, and it was one of ten high-severity violations state inspectors documented that day. The restaurant was not closed.

The inspection on June 22 turned up a total of 14 violations, ten of them rated high-severity. Four more were classified as intermediate. State inspectors left the restaurant operating.

What Inspectors Found

1HIGHFood not cooked to required minimum temperaturePathogen survival risk
2HIGHToxic chemicals improperly stored or labeledAcute poisoning risk
3HIGHFood contact surfaces not properly cleaned/sanitizedCross-contamination risk
4HIGHEmployee not reporting symptoms of illnessOutbreak enabler
5HIGHNo employee health policyDisease transmission
6HIGHInadequate shell stock identification/recordsShellfish traceability gap
7HIGHNo allergen awareness demonstratedAllergic reaction risk
8HIGHNo consumer advisory for raw/undercooked foodsUninformed vulnerable diners

The undercooking violation alone carries serious consequence. Salmonella in poultry survives below 165 degrees Fahrenheit, and a restaurant that is not hitting required temperatures is serving food in which that bacterium can remain viable.

Toxic chemicals were found improperly stored or labeled, a violation that creates a direct route for chemical contamination of food. Inspectors also cited food contact surfaces that were not properly cleaned or sanitized, a condition that transfers bacteria from one food preparation task to the next.

The restaurant had no written employee health policy and no evidence that employees were reporting symptoms of illness. Both violations appeared on the same inspection report. Inspectors also documented improper handwashing technique, meaning that even when employees attempted to wash their hands, the technique left pathogens behind.

Shellfish sold or served without proper shell stock identification records cannot be traced if a customer becomes ill. The restaurant was also cited for food in poor condition, for having no consumer advisory posted for raw or undercooked items, and for failing to demonstrate allergen awareness. On the intermediate side, inspectors noted improper sewage or wastewater disposal, multi-use utensils not properly cleaned, single-use items being reused, and inadequate ventilation and lighting.

What These Violations Mean

The combination of undercooking and no employee health policy is not a coincidence of paperwork. Undercooking is the mechanism by which pathogens reach the plate. The absence of a health policy, combined with employees not reporting illness symptoms, means a sick worker has no formal obligation to stay out of the kitchen, and no system exists to catch the problem before food is prepared and served.

Improper handwashing technique is a distinct failure from simply skipping handwashing. Studies show that incorrect technique, insufficient time, or missing steps like scrubbing between fingers, leaves bacterial loads on hands nearly as high as unwashed hands. At Randevou, inspectors found this happening in a kitchen already flagged for unsanitary food contact surfaces.

The shellfish traceability violation carries a specific public health function. Oysters, clams, and mussels are consumed raw or lightly cooked and are associated with Vibrio and Norovirus outbreaks. Shell stock tags are the only record that allows health officials to trace an illness back to a harvest location and pull contaminated product from the supply chain. Without those records, an outbreak investigation stops cold.

The toxic chemical storage violation is the most immediately acute risk. Chemicals stored near or improperly labeled alongside food can cause poisoning with a single exposure. It is not a background risk, it is a direct one.

The Longer Record

Randevou Caribbean Bar and Grill II: Inspection Pattern, 2025-2026

2026-06-2210 high-severity, 4 intermediate violations. Restaurant remained open.
2026-04-21Follow-up inspection: 0 violations. Reopened after April 20 closure.
2026-04-20Emergency closure for rodent activity. 6 high, 3 intermediate violations.
2026-02-18Follow-up inspection: 0 violations. Reopened after February 17 closure.
2026-02-17Emergency closure for rodent activity. 11 high, 3 intermediate violations.
2025-09-1810 high, 1 intermediate violations. No closure.
2025-04-189 high, 2 intermediate violations. No closure.

The June 22 inspection is not an anomaly. The restaurant has 32 inspections on record, 272 total violations documented across that history, and four prior emergency closures.

Three of those closures came within roughly fourteen months. The restaurant was shut down in February 2025 for fly activity, reopened the next day, closed again in February 2026 for rodent activity, reopened the next day, and closed a third time in April 2026, again for rodent activity, before passing a follow-up inspection and reopening. A fourth prior closure is also in the record.

The pattern that emerges across the most recent inspection dates is consistent. In September 2025, inspectors found 10 high-severity violations and no closure followed. In April 2025, they found 9 high-severity violations, also without a closure. The June 22 inspection, with 10 high-severity violations, fits that sequence precisely.

Still Open

What the June 22 inspection did not produce was an emergency closure order. A restaurant with undercooking violations, improperly stored toxic chemicals, unsanitary food contact surfaces, no employee illness policy, and no shellfish traceability records met none of the conditions that prompted the state to act in February and April of this year. On those dates, rodent activity triggered the closures. On June 22, ten high-severity violations did not.

Randevou Caribbean Bar and Grill II remained open for business after inspectors left.