EUSTIS, FL. State inspectors walked into Takis Pizza No. 2 on South Bay Street on August 24 and found food not cooked to the required minimum temperature, toxic chemicals stored improperly near food, and employees who had not been reporting illness symptoms. They left the restaurant open.
The inspection documented six high-severity violations and two intermediate violations. It was not the worst inspection this location has had. It was, by the records, a typical one.
What Inspectors Found
The cooking temperature violation is the most direct threat to anyone who ordered food that day. Pathogens like Salmonella in poultry survive below 165 degrees Fahrenheit, and undercooking is one of the leading documented causes of foodborne illness outbreaks nationally.
The chemical storage violation compounds that risk. Toxic substances stored improperly near food, or without correct labeling, can contaminate food directly. Mislabeled chemicals have caused acute poisoning when mistaken for food-safe products.
Inspectors also cited employees for not reporting illness symptoms. That violation sits alongside the finding that no person in charge was present or performing supervisory duties.
The shell stock violation adds a separate layer of concern. Takis Pizza No. 2 was cited for inadequate shellfish identification and records, meaning inspectors could not verify where the shellfish on hand came from. Without that traceability, there is no way to trace an illness back to a source if a customer gets sick.
What These Violations Mean
The combination of undercooked food and unreported employee illness represents two of the most direct routes to a foodborne illness outbreak. Norovirus, the most common cause of food-related illness in the United States, spreads most efficiently when a sick food worker handles food without reporting symptoms or being sent home. At Takis Pizza No. 2, inspectors found no system in place to catch that.
The absence of a person in charge compounds every other violation on the list. CDC data shows that establishments without active managerial control accumulate critical violations at roughly three times the rate of those with engaged supervision. When no one is running the floor, temperature checks do not get done, chemical storage does not get monitored, and sick employees do not get pulled from service.
The consumer advisory violation is narrower but matters for specific customers. Elderly diners, pregnant women, young children, and people with compromised immune systems face heightened risk from raw or undercooked foods. Without a posted advisory, those customers cannot make an informed choice about what they order.
The shellfish traceability failure is a public health infrastructure problem as much as a restaurant problem. Oysters, clams, and mussels are often eaten raw or lightly cooked. If a customer becomes ill from shellfish, health investigators need the harvest records to identify the source and pull product from other locations. Takis Pizza No. 2 did not have those records in order.
The Longer Record
The August 24 inspection was the 22nd on record for this location. Across those 22 inspections, state records show 132 total violations. The facility has never been emergency-closed.
The pattern in the prior inspection history is consistent. The March 2026 inspection found seven high-severity violations and one intermediate. The September 2025 inspection found six high-severity violations and one intermediate. The March 2025 inspection found seven high-severity violations. The September 2024 inspection found six high-severity violations.
Going back further, the January 2023 inspection found seven high-severity violations. The September 2023 inspection found four. Not one of the eight most recent inspections on record came back with fewer than three high-severity violations.
The shell stock and consumer advisory violations are not new categories for a pizza shop to accumulate. But the cooking temperature failure, the illness reporting failure, and the absent person in charge, appearing together in August 2026, mirror the same clusters that appeared in March 2026, September 2025, and March 2025. The violations are not getting worse. They are also not getting better.
Still Open
Florida's emergency closure authority applies when inspectors determine that conditions pose an immediate threat to public health. Six high-severity violations at Takis Pizza No. 2, including undercooked food and improperly stored toxic chemicals, did not meet that threshold on August 24.
The restaurant on South Bay Street in Eustis remained open after inspectors left.
