TAMPA, FL. 3 Coins Diner on North Nebraska Avenue drew nine high-severity violations during the week of October 5, more than any other Tampa restaurant inspected that week, including a citation for food not cooked to required minimum temperatures and a finding that employees were not reporting symptoms of illness.
The diner's violations touched nearly every layer of food safety at once. Inspectors cited inadequate handwashing, improper handwashing technique, unclean food contact surfaces, and missing shell stock identification records, all in a single visit. No employee health policy was in place, and the person in charge was found either absent or not performing required duties.
Fourteen other Tampa restaurants drew high-severity violations during the same seven-day stretch, for a combined total of 15 facilities across Hillsborough County.
The Violations
Beijing House on East Fletcher Avenue matched 3 Coins Diner's nine high-severity violations. Inspectors found food sourced from an unapproved or unknown supplier, inadequate handwashing facilities, improper handwashing technique, missing shell stock records, unclean food contact surfaces, and no consumer advisory posted for raw or undercooked menu items. A citation for improper use of time as a public health control rounded out the list.
Shanghai Dumpling House on East Fowler Avenue drew seven high-severity violations, including food from an unapproved source and a finding that required procedures for specialized food processes were not being followed. Multi-use utensils were not properly cleaned, and no consumer advisory was posted.
Portico Cafe on North Florida Avenue also drew seven high-severity violations. The citation list included toxic substances improperly stored or used, parasite destruction procedures not followed for fish or meat, and no consumer advisory for raw items. The person in charge was found not performing required duties, and cooling equipment was cited as inadequate.
International House of Pancakes on North Dale Mabry drew six high-severity violations, including two separate chemical storage citations: toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled, and toxic substances improperly identified or used. Inspectors also cited the restaurant for parasite destruction failures, unclean food contact surfaces, and improper sewage or wastewater disposal.
Angora Mediterranean Grill on East Fowler Avenue drew six high-severity violations, including food from an unapproved source, missing shell stock records, and improperly stored chemicals. Employees were found not reporting symptoms of illness, and single-use items were being reused.
Charann's Tavern on Memorial Highway drew six high-severity violations, including improper use of time as a public health control, missing shell stock records, and toxic chemicals improperly stored. Ventilation and toilet facilities were also cited.
Red Lobster on North Dale Mabry drew six high-severity violations. For a restaurant whose menu centers on seafood, the finding of food from an unapproved or unknown source and missing shell stock identification records stood out. Toxic chemicals were also improperly stored, and single-use items were reused.
Donatellos on North Dale Mabry drew six high-severity violations, including toxic substances improperly stored, no consumer advisory, and time as a public health control not properly used. The person in charge was not present or not performing duties.
Pipo's Restaurant on West Hillsborough Avenue drew six high-severity violations, including employees not reporting illness symptoms, improper handwashing technique, missing shell stock records, and unclean food contact surfaces.
Mi Bandera Bar and Restaurant on West Hillsborough Avenue drew six high-severity violations, including no employee health policy, missing shell stock records, and toxic chemicals improperly stored.
Beef O'Brady's Palma Ceia on South MacDill Avenue drew five high-severity violations and six intermediate violations, the highest intermediate count among all 15 facilities. Inspectors cited improper sewage or wastewater disposal, inadequate cooling equipment, and improperly cleaned multi-use utensils. The person in charge was absent, and employees were not reporting illness symptoms.
Antojitos Latin Cravings on West Columbus Drive drew five high-severity violations, including missing shell stock records, improper handwashing, and unclean food contact surfaces. Toilet facilities were cited as inadequate.
La Di Da on North Nebraska Avenue drew four high-severity violations, including no allergen awareness demonstrated by staff, no employee health policy, and no person in charge present. Single-use items were being reused.
Grain and Berry on East Fowler Avenue drew one high-severity violation, for failing to post a consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods.
What These Violations Mean
The most widespread high-severity finding this week was the absence of a consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods, cited at ten of the fifteen facilities, including Red Lobster, Shanghai Dumpling House, Charann's Tavern, Donatellos, Pipo's, Mi Bandera, Angora Mediterranean Grill, Beijing House, Beef O'Brady's Palma Ceia, Antojitos Latin Cravings, and Grain and Berry. That advisory is not a formality. It is the only mechanism by which elderly diners, pregnant women, or immunocompromised customers know they are eating food that has not been fully cooked. Without it, the choice is made for them.
Food from unapproved or unknown sources, cited at Beijing House, Shanghai Dumpling House, Angora Mediterranean Grill, and Red Lobster, removes the traceability that makes outbreak investigations possible. When someone gets sick, health officials trace the food back through the supply chain to identify the contamination point and stop further exposure. Food from an unverified supplier has no chain of custody. If it carries Listeria or Salmonella, there is no record of where it came from.
The missing employee health policies at 3 Coins Diner, Beijing House, Shanghai Dumpling House, IHOP, Mi Bandera, and La Di Da compound the illness-reporting failures cited separately at 3 Coins Diner, Angora Mediterranean Grill, Pipo's, Beef O'Brady's, and Antojitos Latin Cravings. A worker who does not know they are required to report symptoms, and has no written policy telling them to stay home, is the most direct route from a sick employee to a sick customer. Norovirus, which causes roughly 20 million illnesses in the United States annually, spreads most efficiently through exactly this gap.
The chemical storage citations at IHOP, Angora Mediterranean Grill, Charann's Tavern, Red Lobster, Mi Bandera, Portico Cafe, Donatellos, and Beef O'Brady's are worth separating from the food-handling violations. Improperly stored cleaning chemicals near food or food-contact surfaces create a risk of acute poisoning, not a theoretical future illness. Mislabeled chemicals are a separate hazard: a worker who grabs the wrong bottle can contaminate a surface or a food item without knowing it.
The Longer Record
Three Coins Diner has 47 prior inspections on record, the most of any facility cited this week. Nine high-severity violations on a 47-inspection history means inspectors have been in that building repeatedly, and the most serious categories of failure, including food temperature, illness reporting, and handwashing, were still present during this visit.
Mi Bandera Bar and Restaurant has 46 prior inspections on record, the second-highest count in this week's group, and drew six high-severity violations including missing shell stock records and toxic chemical storage failures. Pipo's Restaurant, with 37 prior inspections, drew the same six high-severity violation count, including the same shell stock and food contact surface failures seen at Mi Bandera.
Shanghai Dumpling House has 40 prior inspections on record, as does Beef O'Brady's Palma Ceia. Both drew citations in overlapping categories: food sourcing, surface sanitation, and illness reporting. Antojitos Latin Cravings has 39 prior inspections and drew five high-severity violations, including shell stock records and handwashing failures that appear repeatedly across this week's list.
Angora Mediterranean Grill has only 12 prior inspections on record, the fewest of any facility cited this week, and already drew six high-severity violations including food from an unapproved source. Portico Cafe, with 20 inspections on record, drew seven high-severity violations including toxic substance storage and parasite destruction failures. Both are relatively new to the inspection record and accumulating serious citations quickly. Grain and Berry, with 22 inspections on record, drew only one high-severity violation, the sole facility in this week's group that kept its critical findings to a single citation.
