TAMPA, FL. Temak House Sushi Fusion on West Linebaugh Avenue drew eight high-severity violations in a single inspection during the week of May 19, the highest total among 15 Tampa restaurants cited for serious infractions, with inspectors documenting failures that stretched from toxic chemical storage to the absence of any written employee health policy.
The eight high-severity violations at Temak House included no person in charge present or performing duties, no employee health policy, employees not reporting illness symptoms, improper handwashing technique, inadequate shellfish identification records, no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods, and two separate citations for toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled. That last pair, two distinct chemical storage violations in the same inspection, is the kind of finding that signals systemic disregard rather than an oversight.
The Week's Worst
New Bamboo Express on Kelly Road followed with seven high-severity violations. Inspectors there found no person in charge, no employee health policy, employees not reporting illness symptoms, inadequate handwashing facilities, improper handwashing technique, improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, and no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods. The inadequate handwashing facilities citation is particularly significant: it means the infrastructure for basic hygiene was not in place, not just that employees were skipping steps.
Namaste Express on Preserve Walk Lane drew six high-severity violations, including one that stands apart from the rest of this week's findings: food from an unapproved or unknown source. Inspectors also cited the restaurant for improper use of time as a public health control, meaning food was allowed to sit in the temperature danger zone without adequate documentation or safeguards, and for improperly cleaned food contact surfaces and no consumer advisory.
Rasoi Indian Cuisine on East 8th Avenue also accumulated six high-severity violations, among them a citation for no allergen awareness demonstrated. That violation is rare in this week's data and particularly serious: food allergies send roughly 30,000 Americans to emergency rooms each year, and a kitchen without documented allergen awareness has no mechanism for preventing cross-contact.
One Family Korean Restaurant on Hillsborough Avenue was cited for food not cooked to the required minimum temperature, one of only two cooking-temperature violations in the week's data. Salmonella in poultry survives below 165 degrees Fahrenheit. The restaurant also had no person in charge, employees not reporting illness symptoms, improper handwashing, improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, and no consumer advisory.
KPOP Food on East 7th Avenue drew six high-severity violations, including inadequate shellfish identification records and a citation for single-use items being improperly reused. Inspectors also found no person in charge and employees not reporting illness symptoms.
More Violations Across the City
Acropolis Greek Taverna on East 7th Avenue drew five high-severity violations and four intermediate ones, the highest combined intermediate count in this week's data. Among the high-severity findings: inadequate handwashing facilities, inadequate shellfish identification records, improper use of time as a public health control, and no consumer advisory. One of the intermediate violations was improper sewage or wastewater disposal, a citation that signals contamination risk throughout the entire facility.
Tikka Masalaa on West Hillsborough was cited for five high-severity violations, including food in poor condition, mislabeled, or adulterated, and toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled. Inspectors also noted inadequate cooling or cold holding equipment, an intermediate violation that compounds the temperature risk when combined with the other findings.
China Restaurant on Race Track Road drew a violation for parasite destruction procedures not followed, meaning fish or other parasite-risk proteins were served without the required freezing or cooking protocols designed to kill organisms like Anisakis and tapeworm. The restaurant was also cited for toxic chemicals improperly stored and no consumer advisory.
El Puerto Restaurant and Grill on East 5th Avenue had no person in charge present, inadequate handwashing facilities, inadequate shellfish identification records, no consumer advisory, and toxic chemicals improperly stored. Five high-severity violations, no intermediate violations, and no responsible party on site when inspectors arrived.
Ju Fu Lou Inc on East Fletcher Avenue was cited for food from an unapproved or unknown source, joining Namaste Express as the only two facilities this week with that particular violation. Inspectors also found no employee health policy, improper handwashing, inadequate shellfish identification records, and no consumer advisory.
Anderson Road Cafe on Anderson Road drew four high-severity violations including food from an unapproved source and inadequate handwashing facilities. An employee was also found not reporting illness symptoms.
Managüita #4 on West Columbus Drive was cited for food in poor condition, mislabeled, or adulterated, along with no employee health policy, employees not reporting illness symptoms, and improper handwashing technique.
Senor Rocoto on Hanley Road drew the fewest high-severity violations this week, two: no employee health policy and improper handwashing technique.
Samurai Blue on North Dale Mabry Highway had one high-severity violation, food contact surfaces not properly cleaned or sanitized, and one intermediate citation for multi-use utensils not properly cleaned.
What These Violations Mean
The most frequently cited high-severity violation this week was improper handwashing technique, appearing at ten of the fifteen facilities. The distinction matters: this is not a citation for failing to wash hands at all. It is a citation for washing hands incorrectly, meaning employees went through the motions but left pathogens on their hands. Studies show that improperly executed handwashing can leave behind more than 90 percent of the pathogens a proper wash would remove. Every surface those hands touched afterward was potentially contaminated.
The absence of an employee health policy, cited at nine facilities including Temak House, New Bamboo Express, Namaste Express, Rasoi, KPOP Food, Senor Rocoto, Acropolis, Ju Fu Lou, and Managüita #4, is not a paperwork violation. Without a written policy, there is no mechanism for a sick employee to know they are required to report symptoms, and no mechanism for a manager to know they are required to exclude that employee from food preparation. Norovirus, which can survive on surfaces for weeks and requires as few as 18 viral particles to cause illness, spreads fastest through exactly this gap.
Food from an unapproved or unknown source, found at Namaste Express, Ju Fu Lou, and Anderson Road Cafe, means inspectors could not verify that the food in those kitchens passed through any regulated inspection point. If a customer becomes ill after eating there, tracing the contamination back to its origin becomes significantly harder or impossible.
The shellfish identification failures at Temak House, Rasoi, KPOP Food, Acropolis, Tikka Masalaa, China Restaurant, El Puerto, and Ju Fu Lou are a traceability problem with direct public health consequences. Shellfish concentrate pathogens from surrounding water. When the harvest tags and identification records are missing or inadequate, there is no way to determine where those oysters, clams, or mussels came from if someone gets sick.
The Longer Record
Senor Rocoto and Tikka Masalaa each have 39 prior inspections on record, the longest histories in this week's data. Senor Rocoto drew only two high-severity violations this week, but 39 inspections represents nearly a decade of regulatory contact. Tikka Masalaa's five high-severity violations, including toxic chemical storage and food in poor condition, arrive after that same extended history without apparent resolution of foundational issues.
Rasoi Indian Cuisine has 32 prior inspections, as does Acropolis Greek Taverna. Both drew six or more serious violations this week. Ju Fu Lou has 37 inspections on record and still had no employee health policy and food from an unapproved source when inspectors arrived.
KPOP Food stands at the opposite end of the history spectrum: nine prior inspections, the fewest among the facilities with six or more high-severity violations this week. Six serious violations at a relatively new location suggests the problems took root early.
Managüita #4 has only four prior inspections on record, the fewest in this week's data. It is new enough that this week's findings, including food in poor condition and no employee health policy, may reflect how the operation was set up from the start rather than a pattern of accumulated neglect. Whether inspectors return to find improvement or more of the same is not yet in the record.