TAMPA, FL. State inspectors cited 3 Coins Diner on Nebraska Avenue for nine high-severity violations during the week of October 1, more than any other restaurant in Tampa that week, including failures inspectors tied directly to the risk of spreading foodborne illness to customers.
The violations at the diner ranged from employees not reporting illness symptoms to food not cooked to required minimum temperatures, with inspectors also documenting inadequate handwashing technique, improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, and missing shellfish traceability records. The absence of an employee health policy and a person in charge who was not performing duties rounded out a list that covered nearly every category of critical food safety failure inspectors look for.
3 Coins was not the only Tampa restaurant with serious problems that week. Fourteen other facilities drew high-severity citations, and one was emergency-closed before the week was out.
The Violations
Senor Tequila Mexican Grill on Race Track Road drew eight high-severity violations, the second-highest total of the week, with inspectors documenting missing shellfish identification records, food contaminated by chemical, physical, or biological hazards, food not cooked to required minimum temperature, and no consumer advisory posted for raw or undercooked menu items. No intermediate violations accompanied the list, which inspectors sometimes indicates that the fundamental, most serious controls were simply absent.
Charann's Tavern on Memorial Highway collected six high-severity violations, including toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled and improper use of time as a public health control. Inspectors also noted inadequate toilet facilities and ventilation problems.
Donatellos on North Dale Mabry matched that total with six high-severity violations of its own, among them toxic substances improperly stored, time as a public health control not properly used, and no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods. There was no person in charge present or performing duties when inspectors arrived.
Pipo's Restaurant on West Hillsborough Avenue also drew six high-severity violations, including employees not reporting illness symptoms, improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, and missing shellfish traceability records.
Beef 'O' Brady's Palma Ceia on South MacDill Avenue produced the week's longest combined violation list, with five high-severity and six intermediate citations. Inspectors found toxic substances improperly stored, food contact surfaces not properly cleaned or sanitized, no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods, and an intermediate violation for improper sewage or wastewater disposal. Inadequate cooling and cold-holding equipment was also flagged.
Antojitos Latin Cravings on West Columbus Drive drew five high-severity violations, including employees not reporting illness symptoms, improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, and missing shellfish identification records, along with intermediate violations for multi-use utensils not properly cleaned and inadequate toilet facilities.
Minerva Indian Restaurant on Bruce B Downs Boulevard was cited for five high-severity violations, including toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled, food contact surfaces not properly cleaned, and no employee health policy. Inspectors also flagged multi-use utensils and inadequate ventilation.
The Closure
Pepo's Cafe on Northdale Boulevard was emergency-closed on October 1, the first day of the inspection week, after inspectors documented roach activity at the location. The closure came alongside three high-severity violations: no employee health policy, food contact surfaces not properly cleaned or sanitized, and toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled. A ventilation violation rounded out the inspection record for that visit.
The remaining facilities cited this week each drew four high-severity violations. New York New York Pizza on North Dale Mabry Highway was cited for parasite destruction procedures not followed, food not cooked to required minimum temperature, and food contact surfaces not properly cleaned, along with four intermediate violations including inadequate cooling equipment and equipment in poor repair.
La Di Da on North Nebraska Avenue drew a citation for no allergen awareness demonstrated, a violation with a direct pathway to emergency room visits, alongside no employee health policy, improper handwashing technique, and no person in charge performing duties. Inspectors also found single-use items being reused.
Boozy Pig on West Cypress Street, Grain and Berry on East Fowler Avenue, Hyatt House Tampa Airport Westshore on Avion Park Drive, and Whiskey Cake Kitchen and Bar on Westshore Boulevard each also received four high-severity violations.
Whiskey Cake stood out in that group. Inspectors cited it for no approved potable water supply, a violation that indicates the restaurant was using water from a source not confirmed safe for food preparation, along with food not cooked to required minimum temperature and no employee health policy.
What These Violations Mean
The most common pattern across this week's inspections was the cluster of illness-reporting and health-policy failures. At 3 Coins Diner, Senor Tequila, Beef 'O' Brady's, Antojitos Latin Cravings, Boozy Pig, Grain and Berry, and several others, inspectors found either no written employee health policy, employees not reporting illness symptoms, or both. These two violations work together: without a written policy, workers have no formal instruction about when to stay home, and without a reporting culture, a worker who is sick and contagious can spend an entire shift handling food and surfaces that go directly to customers. Norovirus, the leading cause of foodborne illness outbreaks in the United States, spreads this way.
The shellfish traceability violations cited at 3 Coins, Senor Tequila, Charann's Tavern, Donatellos, Pipo's, and Antojitos Latin Cravings represent a different kind of risk. Shellfish, including oysters, clams, and mussels, are consumed raw or lightly cooked and are among the foods most associated with illness from Vibrio bacteria and hepatitis A. When a restaurant cannot produce proper shell stock identification tags, investigators have no way to trace a sick customer's illness back to a specific harvest location or lot. The traceability record is not paperwork for its own sake; it is the only tool available when someone gets sick.
The parasite destruction violations at New York New York Pizza and Hyatt House are among the least-understood citations on a restaurant inspection report. When fish is served raw or undercooked, federal food code requires that it first be frozen to specific temperatures for specific time periods to kill parasites including Anisakis and tapeworm. A violation means that protocol was not followed or documented, and the customer consuming that fish has no protection.
The toxic chemical storage violations at Charann's Tavern, Donatellos, Minerva Indian Restaurant, Pepo's Cafe, and Boozy Pig carry a straightforward risk: cleaning chemicals stored near food or improperly labeled can contaminate food directly, and mislabeled containers have caused acute poisonings in restaurant kitchens.
The Longer Record
3 Coins Diner has accumulated 47 prior inspections on record, the highest count of any facility cited this week. Nine high-severity violations in a single visit, at a location with that many prior inspections, is a pattern the record makes difficult to explain as a one-time lapse.
Minerva Indian Restaurant, with 46 prior inspections, and Beef 'O' Brady's Palma Ceia, with 40, are close behind. Antojitos Latin Cravings has 39 prior inspections and Pipo's Restaurant has 37. These are not new restaurants navigating unfamiliar compliance requirements. Each has been through the inspection process dozens of times and still drew multiple high-severity violations this week.
Whiskey Cake Kitchen and Bar, with 33 prior inspections, has enough of a history to know what a potable water supply violation means. That citation, combined with food not reaching required cooking temperatures, represents two of the most fundamental food safety requirements in the state code.
Among the newer locations, Grain and Berry had 21 prior inspections and Hyatt House Tampa Airport Westshore had 13, the lowest count in this week's group. The Hyatt House violations, including parasite destruction procedures not followed and no employee health policy at a hotel food operation that serves travelers who may already be in vulnerable health, are notable for a facility still early in its inspection history.
Pepo's Cafe, emergency-closed on October 1 for roach activity, had 31 prior inspections before the closure. Whether the roach activity was present during any of those previous visits is not reflected in the data available for this report.
