TAMPA, FL. An emergency closure for roach and fly activity at El Rey Antojitos Chiapanecos LLC on East Fletcher Avenue opened a week in which state inspectors cited 15 Tampa restaurants for high-severity violations, including food from unapproved sources, employees not reporting illness symptoms, and missing parasite destruction procedures at a pizza shop selling raw fish preparations.
The closure at 2245 E Fletcher Ave came on September 9, the first day of the inspection period. The same stretch of Fletcher Avenue sits less than half a mile from Checkers on East Fletcher, which drew six high-severity violations of its own that week, among the highest totals recorded across all 15 cited facilities.
The Violations
Checkers on Fletcher and Mr and Mrs Crab on Sheldon Road each drew six high-severity violations, the most of any facility inspected during the week. Checkers was cited for having no person in charge performing duties, no employee health policy, inadequate shell stock records, improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, improper use of time as a public health control, and no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods.
Mr and Mrs Crab drew a nearly parallel list: no person in charge, an employee not reporting illness symptoms, improper handwashing technique, missing shell stock records, improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, and no consumer advisory.
Pabellon Restaurant and Bar on West Waters Avenue also reached six high-severity violations and was the only facility among the top tier to draw zero intermediate violations alongside them. Inspectors cited the restaurant for no person in charge, no employee health policy, an employee not reporting illness, improper handwashing technique, improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, and no consumer advisory.
The food sourcing violations stood out at several locations. The Cuban Sandwich Shop on North Florida Avenue was cited for receiving food from an unapproved or unknown source, a violation that appeared at four facilities across the week. India's Grill on West Kennedy Boulevard, Tampeno Fish and Meat Market on West Tampa Bay Boulevard, and Buddy's Juice Bar on South Howard Avenue all received the same citation.
Buddy's Juice Bar, a South Howard spot with only two prior inspections on record, drew five high-severity violations including food in poor condition or adulterated, toxic substances improperly stored, and no allergen awareness demonstrated alongside the unapproved sourcing citation. For a location barely past its first few inspections, the accumulation was notable.
New York New York Pizza in Westchase on Sheldon Road drew a violation that appeared nowhere else in this week's data: parasite destruction procedures not followed. The citation means the restaurant was not properly freezing or otherwise treating fish served raw or undercooked, a required step to kill parasites including Anisakis. The location also had no consumer advisory posted, meaning customers had no way of knowing the risk.
Bella Brava Midtown on Gramercy Lane was cited for food not cooked to the required minimum temperature, a violation that appeared alongside an improper sewage or waste water disposal citation and a finding of no allergen awareness. The combination placed it among the more varied violation profiles of the week.
Steak N Shake on East Hillsborough Avenue drew a citation for toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled alongside violations for no person in charge, an employee not reporting illness, improper handwashing, and no consumer advisory. Inspectors also noted inadequate cooling and cold holding equipment, and single-use items being reused.
Curry Leaves at Westshore Plaza was cited for toxic chemicals improperly stored alongside improper handwashing technique, no employee health policy, improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, and no consumer advisory. Mity Nice Cafe on Benjamin Road drew the same chemical storage violation alongside missing shell stock records, improper handwashing, improperly cleaned surfaces, and no consumer advisory.
Wagamama at Water Street was cited for no person in charge, an employee not reporting illness, inadequate shell stock records, improper use of time as a public health control, and no consumer advisory. Copper Indian Restaurant on Countryway Boulevard drew citations for inadequate handwashing facilities, improper handwashing technique, missing shell stock records, no person in charge, and no consumer advisory.
Gao Restaurant on North Himes Avenue drew the fewest high-severity violations of the 15 cited facilities, three in total: improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, no consumer advisory, and toxic chemicals improperly stored.
What These Violations Mean
The most frequently cited violation across the week was the absence of a consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods. It appeared at every single one of the 15 facilities. That advisory is the only line of defense for customers with compromised immune systems, pregnant women, the elderly, and young children who may not know they are ordering something that carries inherent pathogen risk. Without it, those customers have no informed choice.
The unapproved food sourcing violations at The Cuban Sandwich Shop, India's Grill, Tampeno Fish and Meat Market, and Buddy's Juice Bar carry a different kind of risk. Food from unapproved sources bypasses federal inspection, meaning there is no traceable chain of custody if someone becomes ill. If a customer gets sick, investigators cannot identify where the food came from or how many others may have been exposed.
The parasite destruction failure at New York New York Pizza is acute in a specific way. Fish served raw or undercooked must be frozen to a precise temperature for a set duration before service, a process designed to kill Anisakis and other parasites that survive in raw seafood. The absence of that procedure, combined with no posted consumer advisory, means customers eating raw fish preparations there last week had no protection and no warning.
Employee illness reporting failures at Mr and Mrs Crab, Pabellon, Steak N Shake, The Cuban Sandwich Shop, Wagamama, and Tampeno Fish and Meat Market point to a direct transmission route. Norovirus, which spreads through food handling by infected workers, causes the majority of foodborne illness outbreaks in restaurant settings. A written health policy does not prevent a sick employee from coming to work, but without one, there is no documented protocol requiring them to stay home.
The Longer Record
Several of the 15 facilities have long inspection histories, and the pattern in those records is worth noting. Steak N Shake on East Hillsborough has 38 prior inspections on record, the most of any facility cited this week. This week's five high-severity citations, including toxic chemical storage and a missing person in charge, arrived on top of a file that is among the thickest in this week's data.
Mity Nice Cafe and India's Grill each have 32 prior inspections on record. Gao Restaurant and New York New York Pizza each carry 29, as does Pabellon Restaurant and Bar. For locations with inspection histories that long, this week's citations represent another entry in a file that already runs deep.
The newer locations tell a different story. Buddy's Juice Bar has two prior inspections on record. Copper Indian Restaurant has five. Tampeno Fish and Meat Market has six. Each of those locations drew five high-severity violations this week, accumulating serious citations early in their inspection histories.
Mr and Mrs Crab on Sheldon Road has nine prior inspections on record, making it a relatively recent entrant compared to the week's veteran offenders. Six high-severity violations in what amounts to a still-forming inspection record is a different kind of concern than the same count at a location with 38 inspections already on file.
The Longer Pattern
Shell stock traceability failures appeared at six facilities this week: Checkers Fletcher, Mr and Mrs Crab, Mity Nice Cafe, Copper Indian Restaurant, Wagamama, and New York New York Pizza. Shellfish are among the highest-risk foods served in restaurants because they are frequently eaten raw or lightly cooked, and without proper tagging records, there is no way to trace a contaminated batch to its harvest source if an outbreak occurs.
The week's emergency closure at El Rey Antojitos Chiapanecos, the only facility shut down by the state during this period, remained in the record as of the close of the inspection window with no reopening data reflected in state records.
