TAMPA, FL. A dessert shop on Davis Boulevard that has been inspected just twice in its history drew six high-severity violations during the week of August 24, including unadulterated food concerns, missing shellfish traceability records, no allergen awareness, and improper sewage disposal, making Kiki's Treats one of the most alarming findings in a week that flagged 15 Tampa restaurants for serious health code failures.
State inspectors documented the violations at the 340 E. Davis Blvd. location during a stretch in which every facility on this list carried at least four high-severity citations. Kiki's also lacked a written employee health policy and had no consumer advisory posted for raw or undercooked foods.
The Violations
Maikels Kitchen on Waters Avenue led the week in combined violation count, drawing five high-severity and five intermediate citations. Inspectors cited improper handwashing technique, food contact surfaces that were not properly cleaned or sanitized, toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled, no employee health policy, and no consumer advisory. The intermediate violations included improper sewage or wastewater disposal and inadequate cooling or cold holding equipment.
La Cabana Restaurant on North Armenia Avenue matched that total with five high-severity and five intermediate violations. Among the most serious: food from an unapproved or unknown source, inadequate shellfish identification records, and an employee not reporting symptoms of illness. Inspectors also found multi-use utensils not properly cleaned and inadequate cooling equipment.
Food from an unapproved source also appeared at Crazy Burrito on West Columbus Drive, alongside inadequate shellfish records, food contact surfaces not properly cleaned, and improper sewage disposal. An employee was also cited for not reporting illness symptoms.
California Pizza Kitchen at Westshore Plaza drew five high-severity violations including food not cooked to the required minimum temperature, time as a public health control not properly used, and no person in charge present or performing duties. Single-use items were found improperly reused.
Tom's Tavern Forest Hills on Fletcher Avenue carried an identical structure: five high-severity violations, four intermediate. No person in charge was present, an employee was not reporting illness symptoms, and shellfish identification records were inadequate. Single-use items were also improperly reused.
Fruitwood Standup Market on West Cypress Street was cited for parasite destruction procedures not followed, a violation that flags the absence of required freezing or cooking protocols for raw fish. Food contact surfaces were not properly cleaned, and an employee was not reporting illness symptoms.
Saki Endless Sushi and Hibachi Restaurant on North Dale Mabry also drew a parasite destruction citation alongside toxic chemicals improperly stored, food contact surfaces not properly cleaned, and improper handwashing technique. The restaurant had no consumer advisory posted.
Tampa Midtown Aloft and Element Floor 6 on Midtown Drive was cited for food not cooked to the required minimum temperature, parasite destruction procedures not followed, no allergen awareness demonstrated, and no employee health policy. It was one of two facilities this week to draw both a cooking temperature violation and a parasite destruction failure simultaneously.
Ho Ho To Go on West Columbus Drive, two blocks from Crazy Burrito, was cited for inadequate shellfish identification records, parasite destruction procedures not followed, food contact surfaces not properly cleaned, no employee health policy, and improper handwashing technique.
West Tampa Sandwich Shop on North Armenia Avenue drew toxic chemicals improperly stored alongside no employee health policy, employee not reporting illness symptoms, improper handwashing technique, and no consumer advisory.
Thinh An Kitchen and Tofu on West Waters Avenue carried three high-severity violations: employee not reporting illness symptoms, improper handwashing technique, and no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods.
China Buffet on East Fowler Avenue was cited for time as a public health control not properly used, inadequate shellfish identification records, and improper handwashing technique. Intermediate violations included single-use items improperly reused, improper use of wiping cloths, and inadequate toilet facilities.
Blue A Tampa Bistro on North Westshore Avenue drew a citation for inadequate handwashing facilities, meaning the physical infrastructure for hand hygiene was found deficient, alongside no person in charge present, improper handwashing technique, and improper sewage or wastewater disposal.
Martha's Place on North Nebraska Avenue was cited for toxic chemicals improperly stored, no employee health policy, improper handwashing technique, and no consumer advisory. Intermediate violations included equipment in poor repair, inadequate ventilation and lighting, and multi-use utensils not properly cleaned.
What These Violations Mean
The most common high-severity violation this week, appearing at ten of the fifteen facilities, was no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods. That citation matters most to the people least equipped to protect themselves: customers who are pregnant, elderly, immunocompromised, or managing chronic illness. Without a posted advisory, those customers have no way of knowing a dish contains raw shellfish or undercooked protein before they order it. Kiki's Treats, La Cabana, Saki, Crazy Burrito, Tom's Tavern, and six others all lacked this disclosure.
Shellfish traceability failures, cited at La Cabana, Crazy Burrito, Tom's Tavern, Ho Ho To Go, China Buffet, and Tampa Midtown Aloft and Element Floor 6, carry a specific downstream risk. Shellfish harvested from contaminated waters are a known vector for Norovirus and Vibrio infections. The traceability tags that restaurants are required to retain exist so that when someone gets sick, investigators can trace the shellfish back to the harvest bed. Without those records, an outbreak investigation stops cold.
The parasite destruction failures at Fruitwood Standup Market, Saki, Ho Ho To Go, and Tampa Midtown Aloft and Element Floor 6 point to a gap in raw fish handling. Fish served raw or lightly cooked must first be frozen to specific temperatures for specified durations to kill parasites including Anisakis, a roundworm that causes severe abdominal pain and can require surgical removal. A missing or incomplete parasite destruction log means that step cannot be verified.
Toxic chemicals improperly stored, documented at Maikels Kitchen, Saki, West Tampa Sandwich Shop, and Martha's Place, is not a paperwork violation. Cleaning agents stored near or above food preparation surfaces can contaminate food directly, and mislabeled chemical containers have caused acute poisoning events in commercial kitchens. The risk is immediate.
The Longer Record
China Buffet on East Fowler Avenue carries 61 prior inspections on record, the longest history of any facility cited this week. That volume alone is not an indictment, but the violations documented this week, including time abuse, shellfish traceability failures, and inadequate toilet facilities, are not new categories for a restaurant with that many inspections behind it.
Saki Endless Sushi and Hibachi on North Dale Mabry has 44 prior inspections on record. Thinh An Kitchen and Tofu on West Waters Avenue has 48. Both were cited this week for handwashing technique failures, a violation that reflects daily kitchen practice, not a one-time equipment breakdown.
La Cabana Restaurant and Maikels Kitchen each have more than 37 prior inspections and both drew the maximum combined violation count this week, ten citations each. La Cabana's food from an unapproved source violation is particularly difficult to attribute to inexperience at that inspection count.
Fruitwood Standup Market has only four prior inspections and was already flagged for parasite destruction procedures not followed. Kiki's Treats has two. A dessert shop on only its second state inspection carrying six high-severity violations, including shellfish traceability failures and no allergen awareness, is a pattern that typically takes longer to accumulate.
The Longer Record, Continued
Tom's Tavern Forest Hills and California Pizza Kitchen each have 29 prior inspections. Both drew the same management failure citation this week: no person in charge present or performing duties. CDC data links that specific absence to facilities that accumulate three times the critical violations of managed kitchens. Both also had employees not reporting illness symptoms.
Blue A Tampa Bistro, also at 27 prior inspections, was the only facility this week cited for inadequate handwashing facilities, meaning the sinks, soap, or drying equipment needed to wash hands properly were themselves deficient. That citation preceded the improper handwashing technique violation in the same inspection, and the facility also had improper sewage disposal documented.
West Tampa Sandwich Shop, with 27 prior inspections, and Martha's Place, with 29, both drew toxic chemical storage violations this week. Neither has a short history.
Ho Ho To Go and Crazy Burrito sit two blocks apart on West Columbus Drive. Both were cited this week for shellfish traceability failures and food contact surfaces not properly cleaned. Ho Ho To Go has 24 prior inspections on record. Crazy Burrito has 27. Whether inspectors have cited either location for the same categories in prior visits is not reflected in this week's data.
