TAMPA, FL. China Buffet on East Fowler Avenue drew eight high-severity violations in a single inspection this week, including toxic chemicals improperly stored near food, no person in charge present or performing duties, and employees observed using improper handwashing technique, state records show.
The same visit documented that the restaurant had no written employee health policy, that employees were not reporting illness symptoms, and that the kitchen was using time as a public health control without following required procedures. A consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods was also absent. That is eight separate high-severity findings in one location, in one inspection.
The Week's Violations
Coasis on North Nebraska Avenue was cited for seven high-severity violations, including inadequate shellfish traceability records, no employee health policy, no consumer advisory, and no person in charge. Inspectors also found that handwashing facilities were inadequate and that employees were using improper technique even when attempting to wash.
La Vitanuova Sports Bar and Grill on North Armenia Avenue drew six high-severity findings, including food described as being in poor condition, mislabeled, or adulterated, inadequate shellfish identification records, improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, and no consumer advisory for raw items. Employees were also not reporting illness symptoms, and handwashing technique was cited.
Bern's Steak House on South Howard Avenue, one of Tampa's most recognized dining institutions, was cited for five high-severity violations. Among them: food from an unapproved or unknown source, inadequate shellfish traceability records, improper use of time as a public health control, and no consumer advisory. An intermediate ventilation and lighting violation was also documented.
Sweet Krunch Korean Fried Chicken on East 7th Avenue drew five high-severity violations, including food contaminated by chemical, physical, or biological hazards, food from an unapproved or unknown source, inadequate shellfish records, improper handwashing technique, and no consumer advisory.
Abella's Cuban Restaurant on North 34th Street was cited for five high-severity violations: employees not reporting illness symptoms, improper handwashing technique, inadequate shellfish identification records, improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, and no consumer advisory. An intermediate violation for improperly cleaned multi-use utensils was also noted.
Good Taste on North Florida Avenue accumulated four high-severity and three intermediate violations. The high-severity findings included no employee health policy, inadequate handwashing facilities, improper handwashing technique, and food from an unapproved or unknown source. Inspectors also cited improper sewage or wastewater disposal, improperly cleaned utensils, and improper use of wiping cloths.
Urban Indian on North Dale Mabry Highway was cited for four high-severity violations, including no person in charge, employees not reporting illness symptoms, inadequate handwashing facilities, and improper handwashing technique. An intermediate violation for improper sewage or wastewater disposal was also documented.
Al's Finger Licking Good Soul Food on East 7th Avenue drew four high-severity violations: no employee health policy, inadequate shellfish records, improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, and no consumer advisory.
Copper Shaker on East 7th Avenue, just doors away, was cited for four high-severity violations including inadequate handwashing facilities, no employee health policy, improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, and no consumer advisory. Inspectors also noted improper sewage or wastewater disposal.
Barterhouse on 15th Street drew four high-severity violations, including no allergen awareness demonstrated by staff, no consumer advisory, improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, and improper handwashing technique.
Donatello's on North Dale Mabry was cited for four high-severity violations: no person in charge, improper handwashing technique, inadequate shellfish records, and toxic substances improperly identified, stored, or used. An intermediate violation for improperly cleaned multi-use utensils rounded out the inspection.
Hungry Crab on Bruce B Downs Boulevard drew four high-severity violations, including no person in charge, inadequate handwashing facilities, improper handwashing technique, and improperly cleaned food contact surfaces.
Heights Shuffleboard Society on North Tampa Street was cited for two high-severity violations: no person in charge and employees not reporting illness symptoms.
NY NY Pizza on East 7th Avenue drew one high-severity violation for failure to follow parasite destruction procedures for fish.
One Restaurant Closed
On June 3, state inspectors ordered Rouen Thai Restaurant at 3324 West Gandy Boulevard shut down for roach activity. The closure was the only emergency order issued in Tampa during the week of June 2 through June 8.
What These Violations Mean
The handwashing violations documented this week at China Buffet, Coasis, La Vitanuova, Bern's Steak House, Sweet Krunch, Abella's, Good Taste, Urban Indian, Donatello's, Hungry Crab, and Barterhouse represent more than a paperwork problem. Improper technique leaves pathogens on hands even when a worker makes an attempt to wash. When combined with inadequate handwashing facilities, as documented at Coasis, Good Taste, Urban Indian, Copper Shaker, and Hungry Crab, the infrastructure to prevent contamination simply does not exist.
The absence of an employee health policy, cited at China Buffet, Coasis, Good Taste, Al's Finger Licking Good Soul Food, and Copper Shaker, removes the written framework that requires sick workers to report symptoms and stay out of the kitchen. At China Buffet and La Vitanuova, employees were specifically cited for not reporting illness symptoms, meaning the failure was not theoretical. Norovirus, which is responsible for roughly 20 million illnesses annually in the United States, spreads through exactly this route.
Shellfish traceability violations at Coasis, La Vitanuova, Bern's Steak House, Sweet Krunch, Abella's, Al's Finger Licking Good Soul Food, and Donatello's carry a specific danger. Oysters, clams, and mussels are often consumed raw or lightly cooked. Without proper identification tags and receiving records, there is no way to trace a contaminated batch back to its harvest bed if customers fall ill. That traceability gap is not a technicality; it is the only mechanism investigators have to stop an outbreak already in progress.
Food from unapproved or unknown sources, cited at Bern's Steak House, Sweet Krunch, and Good Taste, bypasses federal inspection entirely. There is no audit trail for that food, no recall mechanism, and no way to verify it was handled safely before it arrived in the kitchen.
The Longer Record
China Buffet on East Fowler Avenue has 52 prior inspections on record, the longest history of any facility cited this week. Eight high-severity violations in a single visit, after more than five decades of state oversight, places this week's findings in a context that the raw numbers make plain.
Abella's Cuban Restaurant has 35 prior inspections on record, and Good Taste has 34. Both were cited this week for improperly cleaned food contact surfaces and handwashing failures, the same categories that appear repeatedly across long inspection histories. NY NY Pizza, with 38 prior inspections, drew a parasite destruction violation, a finding that requires a deliberate procedural failure, not an oversight.
Bern's Steak House, with 25 inspections on record, is the most prominent name on this week's list. The food-from-unapproved-sources citation is the most serious finding at that address, because it applies to an ingredient already served to customers before the inspection took place.
La Vitanuova Sports Bar and Grill has only 2 prior inspections on record, making this week's six high-severity findings among the most concentrated early-record performances in the group. Sweet Krunch has 4 prior inspections and Coasis has 9. All three are accumulating serious violations in the early stages of their inspection histories. Coasis, with seven high-severity findings and no intermediate violations, had no lesser-category problems at all. Every citation inspectors wrote was at the top tier of severity.
Barterhouse, with 19 prior inspections, is the only facility this week cited for no allergen awareness demonstrated by staff. Food allergies send an estimated 30,000 people to emergency rooms in the United States each year. That citation at Barterhouse was unresolved at the time the inspection record was filed.