TAMPA, FL. Kiki's Treats on East Davis Boulevard had been inspected only twice before state inspectors arrived this week, and in that short history it had already accumulated six high-severity violations, including food in poor condition, inadequate shellfish traceability records, no allergen awareness demonstrated by staff, and improper sewage disposal on the premises.
For a bakery-style operation with just two inspections on record, that is a significant accumulation of serious citations.
The Week's Worst Findings
Maikels Kitchen on Waters Avenue drew five high-severity and five intermediate citations, among the highest combined totals of the week. Inspectors cited toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled near food, food contact surfaces not properly cleaned or sanitized, no employee health policy, improper handwashing technique, and no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked menu items. The intermediate violations included improper sewage or wastewater disposal and inadequate cooling and cold-holding equipment.
La Cabana Restaurant on North Armenia Avenue matched that total with five high-severity and five intermediate violations. The most alarming finding there was food from an unapproved or unknown source, meaning inspectors could not confirm the origin of food being served to customers. Shellfish traceability records were also inadequate, and the restaurant lacked a consumer advisory for raw items. Intermediate violations included improperly cleaned multi-use utensils, failed sanitizing procedures, and inadequate cold-holding equipment.
Tom's Tavern Forest Hills on West Fletcher Avenue was cited for five high-severity violations, including no person in charge present or performing duties during the inspection. Employees were not reporting illness symptoms, handwashing technique was improper, shellfish identification records were inadequate, and no consumer advisory was posted. Inspectors also found single-use items being reused and inadequate ventilation.
California Pizza Kitchen at the Westshore Plaza drew the same count: five high-severity violations, including no person in charge, employees not reporting illness symptoms, and food not cooked to the required minimum temperature. The chain location also failed on time as a public health control, meaning food was held in the temperature danger zone without proper documentation of when that clock started. No consumer advisory was posted.
Fruitwood Standup Market on West Cypress Street was cited for five high-severity violations including failure to follow parasite destruction procedures for fish. Without proper freezing or cooking protocols, parasites including Anisakis can survive in raw or undercooked fish served to customers. Food contact surfaces were not properly cleaned or sanitized, and no consumer advisory was posted.
Crazy Burrito on West Columbus Drive was cited for food from an unapproved or unknown source, inadequate shellfish identification records, food contact surfaces not properly cleaned, and employees not reporting illness symptoms. Inspectors also documented improper sewage disposal and inadequate toilet facilities.
Saki Endless Sushi and Hibachi Restaurant on North Dale Mabry Highway drew five high-severity violations including toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled and food contact surfaces not properly cleaned or sanitized. At a sushi restaurant where raw fish is a primary menu item, both citations carry direct implications for what reaches a customer's plate.
Ho Ho To Go on West Columbus Drive was cited for five high-severity violations with no intermediate violations alongside them: no employee health policy, improper handwashing technique, inadequate shellfish identification records, failure to follow parasite destruction procedures, and food contact surfaces not properly cleaned.
Tampa Midtown Aloft and Element Floor 6 on Midtown Drive was cited for five high-severity violations including food not cooked to the required minimum temperature, parasite destruction procedures not followed, no employee health policy, inadequate shellfish traceability records, and no allergen awareness demonstrated by staff.
Blue A Tampa Bistro on North Westshore Avenue was cited for inadequate handwashing facilities, meaning inspectors found the physical infrastructure for proper hand hygiene to be insufficient, not just the technique. No person in charge was present or performing duties. Intermediate violations included improper sewage disposal, improperly cleaned multi-use utensils, and single-use items being reused.
West Tampa Sandwich Shop on North Armenia Avenue drew five high-severity violations including toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled, no employee health policy, employees not reporting illness symptoms, and improper handwashing technique.
China Buffet on East Fowler Avenue was cited for four high-severity violations including time as a public health control not properly used, a citation that carries particular weight at a buffet where food sits in warming trays for extended periods. Intermediate violations included single-use items being reused, inadequate ventilation, improper use of wiping cloths, and inadequate toilet facilities.
Martha's Place on North Nebraska Avenue drew four high-severity violations including toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled and no employee health policy. Intermediate violations included equipment in poor repair, which inspectors noted as harboring bacteria in cracks and corroded areas that cannot be effectively cleaned.
Thinh An Kitchen and Tofu on West Waters Avenue drew three high-severity violations: employees not reporting illness symptoms, improper handwashing technique, and no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods.
What These Violations Mean
The most widespread violation across this week's 15 facilities was the absence of a consumer advisory for raw or undercooked menu items. Eleven of the 15 restaurants were cited for it. That posting requirement exists specifically to warn customers who face the greatest risk from undercooked food: pregnant women, elderly diners, young children, and anyone immunocompromised. At Fruitwood Standup Market and Ho Ho To Go, that omission overlapped with citations for failure to follow parasite destruction procedures, meaning fish was being served without proper protocols and without any warning to customers that it might be undercooked.
Food from unapproved or unknown sources, cited at both La Cabana Restaurant and Crazy Burrito, is among the most serious violations in the code because it eliminates traceability. If a customer gets sick, investigators cannot trace the food back through the supply chain to identify the source of contamination. It means the food bypassed USDA and FDA inspection checkpoints entirely.
Toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled, cited at Maikels Kitchen, Saki Endless Sushi and Hibachi, West Tampa Sandwich Shop, and Martha's Place, represents a direct acute poisoning risk. Chemicals stored near or above food preparation surfaces can contaminate food through spills or aerosol. Mislabeled containers create a second risk: staff may apply the wrong chemical to food contact surfaces, leaving residue that reaches customers.
At Blue A Tampa Bistro, the citation for inadequate handwashing facilities is categorically different from an improper technique citation. Inspectors found the physical infrastructure itself was insufficient. Technique cannot be corrected if the sink, soap, or water is not there to use.
The Longer Record
China Buffet on East Fowler has the longest inspection history of any facility cited this week, with 61 prior inspections on record. This week's four high-severity violations, including the time-as-public-health-control failure at a buffet operation, arrive against a backdrop of six decades of state oversight at that address.
Thinh An Kitchen and Tofu has 48 prior inspections on record, and Saki Endless Sushi and Hibachi has 44. Both drew high-severity handwashing and illness-reporting violations this week, categories that appear repeatedly across facilities with long inspection histories in this data set.
La Cabana Restaurant and Maikels Kitchen each have more than 37 prior inspections on record. Both were cited this week for inadequate cold-holding equipment as an intermediate violation, suggesting an infrastructure problem that has persisted across multiple inspection cycles.
The starkest contrast in this week's data sits at the newer end of the spectrum. Kiki's Treats has only 2 prior inspections on record and already carries six high-severity violations, including sewage disposal problems and no allergen awareness demonstrated by staff. Fruitwood Standup Market, with 4 prior inspections, drew five high-severity violations including a parasite destruction failure. Neither facility has had enough inspections to establish a pattern of improvement or decline. What they have established, in a very short time, is a record of serious citations.
California Pizza Kitchen and Tom's Tavern Forest Hills each have 29 prior inspections on record and both drew citations this week for no person in charge present during the inspection. Whether that management absence is a pattern at either location is a question the prior inspection records, not yet public in this data set, would answer.
