TAMPA, FL. Buddy's Juice Bar on South Howard Avenue had no employee health policy, received food from an unapproved source, served food inspectors flagged as being in poor condition or adulterated, stored toxic substances improperly, and showed no allergen awareness, according to state records from the week of September 8. That is five high-severity violations at a facility that has only two prior inspections on record.
State inspectors documented high-severity violations at 15 Tampa restaurants between September 8 and September 14. One restaurant was emergency-closed for pest activity. Across the 15 facilities, the violations clustered around the same failures: no one in charge, sick workers not reporting symptoms, handwashing done wrong or not at all, and food contact surfaces that were not properly cleaned.
The Closure and the Worst of the Week
El Rey Antojitos Chiapanecos LLC at 2245 E Fletcher Avenue was emergency-closed September 9 for roach and fly activity. It is the only closure recorded in Tampa during this inspection period.
Mi Tierra Latina on West Hillsborough Avenue led all facilities this week with seven high-severity violations. Inspectors found that the person in charge was not present or not performing duties, that employees were not reporting illness symptoms, that handwashing technique was improper, that food contact surfaces were not properly cleaned, that time as a public health control was not being used correctly, that no consumer advisory existed for raw or undercooked foods, and that toxic chemicals were improperly stored or labeled.
The Violations
Three facilities tied for second place with six high-severity violations each.
Checkers on East Fletcher Avenue had no person in charge, no written employee health policy, inadequate shell stock identification records, improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, misuse of time as a public health control, and no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods. The shell stock violation at a fast-food drive-through is notable: without proper identification tags, there is no way to trace shellfish back to its harvest bed if customers fall ill.
Mr and Mrs Crab on Sheldon Road drew the same shell stock traceability violation, alongside failures in illness reporting, handwashing technique, food contact surface sanitation, and consumer advisory. Inspectors also flagged inadequate toilet facilities, a condition that undermines the very hygiene infrastructure the other violations depend on.
Pabellon Restaurant and Bar on West Waters Avenue recorded six high-severity violations and zero intermediate ones. The facility had no person in charge, no employee health policy, employees not reporting illness symptoms, improper handwashing technique, unclean food contact surfaces, and no consumer advisory.
Sonic #5072 on North Dale Mabry Highway added a violation that none of the other top-tier facilities recorded: food from an unapproved or unknown source. That means some ingredient served to customers that week bypassed USDA or FDA inspection entirely. The location also had improper handwashing technique, improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, no consumer advisory, and an intermediate violation for improper sewage or wastewater disposal.
Bella Brava Midtown on Gramercy Lane was cited for food not cooked to the required minimum temperature, a violation that means pathogens like Salmonella can survive in the finished dish. The restaurant also had no employee health policy, no consumer advisory, no allergen awareness, improper use of time as a public health control, and intermediate violations for sewage disposal and toilet facilities.
Steak n Shake on East Hillsborough Avenue had toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled alongside illness-reporting failures, absent managerial oversight, improper handwashing, and no consumer advisory. Inspectors also noted that single-use items were being reused, a separate contamination risk.
The Cuban Sandwich Shop on North Florida Avenue drew a food-from-unapproved-source violation alongside improper handwashing, misuse of time as a public health control, no consumer advisory, and employees not reporting illness symptoms.
Curry Leaves at Westshore Plaza had toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled, improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, no employee health policy, improper handwashing, and no consumer advisory.
Mity Nice Cafe on Benjamin Road combined the shellfish traceability failure with toxic chemical storage problems, improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, improper handwashing, and no consumer advisory.
Copper Indian Restaurant on Countryway Boulevard had both inadequate handwashing facilities and improper handwashing technique cited in the same inspection. No person in charge was present. The shell stock identification records were also inadequate.
Wagamama on Water Street had no person in charge, employees not reporting illness symptoms, inadequate shell stock records, misuse of time as a public health control, and no consumer advisory.
New York New York Pizza in Westchase was cited for parasite destruction procedures not followed, a violation that applies when fish is served raw or undercooked without the required prior freezing treatment. The location also had improper handwashing, inadequate shell stock records, improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, and no consumer advisory.
India's Grill on West Kennedy Boulevard received a food-from-unapproved-source violation alongside no employee health policy, improper handwashing, improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, and no consumer advisory.
What These Violations Mean
The illness-reporting failures at Mi Tierra Latina, Pabellon, Steak n Shake, Wagamama, Mr and Mrs Crab, and The Cuban Sandwich Shop represent the most direct transmission risk in this week's data. A worker who comes in sick with Norovirus and handles food without reporting symptoms can infect dozens of customers before anyone connects the cases to the restaurant. Norovirus spreads through as few as 18 viral particles. The absence of a written health policy, as documented at Checkers, Pabellon, Bella Brava, Curry Leaves, India's Grill, and Buddy's Juice Bar, means there is no formal system requiring workers to disclose illness at all.
The food-from-unapproved-source violations at Sonic #5072, The Cuban Sandwich Shop, India's Grill, and Buddy's Juice Bar carry a specific danger: if a customer gets sick, investigators cannot trace the ingredient back to its origin. Approved sources are licensed, inspected, and traceable. Unapproved sources are none of those things.
Shellfish traceability failures at Checkers, Mr and Mrs Crab, Mity Nice Cafe, Copper Indian Restaurant, Wagamama, and New York New York Pizza compound that same problem for a particularly high-risk food category. Oysters, clams, and mussels are often consumed raw or barely cooked, and they filter large volumes of water, concentrating any pathogens present. Harvest location tags are the only mechanism that allows health officials to pull a specific lot if an outbreak is traced to a contaminated bed.
Bella Brava's food-not-cooked-to-minimum-temperature violation and New York New York Pizza's parasite-destruction failure are the two violations this week most likely to result in a customer consuming a living pathogen. Undercooking does not merely reduce quality; it means Salmonella, Listeria, or parasites like Anisakis survive the cooking process and reach the plate intact.
The Longer Record
Steak n Shake on East Hillsborough has 38 prior inspections on record, the longest history of any facility cited this week. This week's five high-severity violations, including toxic chemical storage and illness-reporting failures, come against that extended backdrop.
Mity Nice Cafe on Benjamin Road has 32 prior inspections, as does India's Grill on West Kennedy. Both recorded five high-severity violations this week. Mi Tierra Latina and Pabellon each have 29 prior inspections, and both turned up among the worst performers of the week, with seven and six high-severity violations respectively.
The Cuban Sandwich Shop has 26 prior inspections. Sonic #5072 has 24. Curry Leaves has 21. None of those histories prevented the violations documented this week.
Copper Indian Restaurant on Countryway Boulevard has only five prior inspections on record. It still produced five high-severity violations, including the compounding problem of both inadequate handwashing facilities and improper handwashing technique in the same visit. Bella Brava Midtown has 12 prior inspections and drew eight violations total, including the food-temperature failure.
Buddy's Juice Bar has two prior inspections on record, making this week's five high-severity findings, including unapproved food sources and no allergen awareness, its most serious inspection yet. Whether those violations were present from the start or developed recently, the state's records do not say.
