TAMPA, FL. Pho Quyen Cuisine on East Fowler Avenue drew nine high-severity violations during the week of July 13, the most of any Tampa restaurant inspected that week, with inspectors documenting food from unapproved sources, failure to cook food to required minimum temperatures, and no written employee health policy at the same location.
That single restaurant accounted for more high-severity violations than ten of the fourteen other flagged facilities combined. Inspectors also cited Pho Quyen for inadequate shell stock identification records, meaning the shellfish it serves could not be traced back to a licensed harvester if a customer became ill.
The Most Serious Findings
3 Coins Diner on North Nebraska Avenue was the second-most cited facility of the week, with seven high-severity violations. Inspectors found no person in charge present, employees not reporting illness symptoms, and handwashing facilities that were inadequate, meaning the physical infrastructure for basic hygiene was not in place, not just ignored.
China Buffet on East Fowler Avenue drew six high-severity violations, including a missing employee health policy, employees not reporting illness symptoms, and inadequate cooling and cold holding equipment. That last violation is particularly significant at a buffet, where food sits in open trays for extended periods.
China House on West Hillsborough Avenue also reached six high-severity violations, among them food from unapproved or unknown sources and missing shell stock identification records, the same shellfish traceability gap cited at Pho Quyen.
Miller's Ale House on East Fowler Avenue was cited for six high-severity violations: no person in charge, no employee health policy, employees not reporting illness symptoms, inadequate shell stock records, improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, and no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods.
Bowl Bar on Anderson Road also received six high-severity citations, including a violation for not following parasite destruction procedures, a serious lapse at any establishment serving fish that may be consumed raw or undercooked.
Retro House on East Henderson Avenue was cited for five high-severity violations, one of which stood apart from the week's pattern: toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled near food. Inspectors also noted food not cooked to required minimum temperatures.
Mambo's Cafe on North Armenia Avenue drew five high-severity violations, including no person in charge and no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods.
Courtyard by Marriott Tampa Northwest on Citrus Park Lane received five high-severity violations, with no person in charge present and improper use of time as a public health control among the findings.
SoFresh on East Fowler was cited for four high-severity violations, including food not cooked to required minimum temperatures and an intermediate violation for improper sewage or wastewater disposal.
Mama's Kitchen 3 on North Florida Avenue also drew four high-severity violations and an intermediate citation for improper sewage or wastewater disposal, matching the sewage finding at SoFresh.
Charann's Tavern on Memorial Highway received four high-severity violations, including improperly cleaned food contact surfaces and no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods.
Nosh Express on North West Shore Boulevard drew four high-severity violations, including food in poor condition, mislabeled, or adulterated, a finding that carries its own traceability and allergy risk separate from the handwashing violations cited in the same visit.
NY NY Pizza on East 7th Avenue and Applebee's on West Hillsborough Avenue each drew one high-severity violation. NY NY Pizza was cited for failing to follow parasite destruction procedures. Applebee's received a citation for improperly cleaned food contact surfaces.
What These Violations Mean
The handwashing violations documented at Pho Quyen, 3 Coins Diner, China Buffet, China House, Nosh Express, Mama's Kitchen 3, Charann's Tavern, and the Courtyard by Marriott this week are not procedural paperwork failures. Hands are the most common vehicle for transferring Norovirus and Salmonella from an infected worker to food. Improper technique, which inspectors documented specifically at most of those locations, means a worker may go through the motions of washing without removing pathogens.
The employee illness reporting violations at Pho Quyen, 3 Coins Diner, China Buffet, Miller's Ale House, Bowl Bar, and Mambo's Cafe compound that risk directly. A worker with Norovirus who does not know to report symptoms, or works in a facility with no written policy requiring them to report, can contaminate hundreds of servings before anyone identifies the source.
Food from unapproved sources, cited at both Pho Quyen and China House, removes the traceability chain entirely. If a customer becomes ill, investigators cannot determine where the food originated, which lot it came from, or whether other restaurants received product from the same supplier. The shellfish traceability failures at Pho Quyen, China House, Miller's Ale House, Bowl Bar, Mambo's Cafe, Retro House, and the Courtyard by Marriott carry the same risk, specifically for raw or lightly cooked oysters and clams, which are among the highest-risk foods for Vibrio and hepatitis A transmission.
The parasite destruction failures at Bowl Bar and NY NY Pizza describe a different hazard. Certain fish species must be frozen to specific temperatures for a minimum number of days to kill parasites including Anisakis before being served raw or undercooked. When that step is skipped, the parasite can survive to infect a customer.
The Longer Record
China Buffet has 57 prior inspections on record, the longest history of any facility cited this week. That volume of inspections, accumulated across years of operation, did not prevent six high-severity violations in a single visit this July, including a missing employee health policy and employees not reporting illness symptoms, two of the most basic structural safeguards in food service.
3 Coins Diner carries 46 prior inspections and drew seven high-severity violations, the second-highest total of the week. Miller's Ale House and NY NY Pizza each have 41 prior inspections on record. NY NY Pizza's single high-severity citation this week, for parasite destruction, is notable given that volume of regulatory contact.
Pho Quyen's 35 prior inspections preceded a nine-violation week. Retro House has 37 prior inspections, and SoFresh has 36. Both were cited this week for food not cooked to required minimum temperatures, a violation that should be among the most reliably corrected after repeated inspector contact.
Bowl Bar is among the newer facilities in this week's data, with 20 prior inspections, and the Courtyard by Marriott has 19. Both accumulated five or more high-severity violations in a single week despite their comparatively shorter regulatory histories.
Mama's Kitchen 3, with 33 prior inspections, was cited for improper sewage or wastewater disposal alongside four high-severity violations. That same sewage finding appeared at SoFresh, which has 36 prior inspections. Neither facility's inspection history prevented it.
