WEST PALM BEACH, FL. Banh Cuon Tan Dinh on North Military Trail drew six high-severity violations in a single inspection last week, the most of any facility in West Palm Beach during the week of April 20, including findings that no employee health policy existed, that hand-washing technique was improper, and that food contact surfaces were not properly cleaned or sanitized.
Fourteen restaurants across the city were cited for high-severity violations during the same seven-day stretch. The findings ranged from unapproved food sourcing on Clematis Street to uncooked food temperatures at a country music venue on Village Boulevard.
The Week's Worst Findings
Banh Cuon Tan Dinh's inspection also found no person in charge present or performing duties, no employee illness reporting system, and inadequate handwashing facilities, meaning the physical infrastructure to wash hands properly was itself deficient. All six of its violations were classified at the highest severity level.
Batch New-Southern Kitchen and Tap on Clematis Street followed with five high-severity and six intermediate violations, the highest combined total of any facility this week. Among the high-severity findings: food from an unapproved or unknown source, toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled, and no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods. Inspectors also found that single-use items were being reused and that sanitizing procedures were improper.
Let's Dish Caribbean Restaurant on Okeechobee Boulevard was cited for five high-severity violations, including inadequate shell stock identification records, meaning inspectors could not verify where the shellfish served there came from. The restaurant also lacked a consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods and had food contact surfaces that were not properly cleaned or sanitized.
Cafe Centro Allora on North Dixie Highway drew five high-severity violations of its own, including inadequate handwashing facilities, improper handwashing technique, and missing shell stock identification records. Like Let's Dish, it also had no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked menu items.
Renegades Country WPB on Village Boulevard was cited for food not cooked to the required minimum temperature, one of the most direct pathogen-survival risks in the data this week. The venue also lacked adequate handwashing facilities, had no consumer advisory for undercooked foods, and drew two intermediate violations including inadequate toilet facilities.
Across the Rest of the City
Amara Temple Holding Corporation on Palm Beach Lakes Boulevard was cited for improper handwashing technique, no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods, and toxic substances improperly identified, stored, or used. That last violation, chemicals not properly labeled or separated from food preparation areas, carries an immediate risk of accidental poisoning.
Agora Mediterranean Restaurant on North Dixie Highway drew three high-severity violations: improper handwashing technique, unsanitary food contact surfaces, and no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods.
Rachel's Adult Entertainment and Steak House on West 45th Street was also cited for food not cooked to the required minimum temperature, alongside improper handwashing technique and improperly cleaned food contact surfaces.
Seasons 401 on Northwood Road drew two high-severity violations, including inadequate shell stock identification records, and two intermediate violations for improperly cleaned utensils and reused single-use items.
Dunkin' Donuts on North Australian Avenue was cited for two high-severity violations: an employee not reporting illness symptoms, and inadequate shell stock identification records. A Dunkin' location flagged for shellfish traceability is notable given that the chain does not typically feature shellfish prominently, and the records do not specify what product triggered the citation.
45 Street Cafe on Village Boulevard and Paisano's Pizzaria on Okeechobee Boulevard each received two high-severity violations. The cafe was cited for an employee not reporting illness symptoms and improper handwashing technique. Paisano's drew citations for improper handwashing technique and inadequate shell stock identification records.
French Grill House on Northwood Road was cited for improper handwashing technique and food contact surfaces not properly cleaned or sanitized.
Celona on Northwood Road, just two doors down from French Grill House, drew two high-severity violations: no person in charge present or performing duties, and an employee not reporting illness symptoms.
What These Violations Mean
The most pervasive high-severity finding this week was improper handwashing technique, cited at nine of the fourteen facilities. This is not a paperwork problem. When an employee attempts to wash their hands but does so incorrectly, pathogens including Norovirus and Salmonella remain on their hands and transfer directly to food, surfaces, and utensils. At Banh Cuon Tan Dinh, the problem was compounded: the physical handwashing infrastructure was itself inadequate, meaning employees could not wash their hands properly even if they tried.
Food from unapproved sources, cited at Batch New-Southern Kitchen and Tap, is a different category of risk. Approved food suppliers operate under USDA and FDA oversight, with traceability systems that allow investigators to trace an illness back to a specific lot or shipment. When a restaurant sources food outside those channels, that chain of accountability breaks. If a customer gets sick, investigators may have no way to identify where the food came from or who else received it.
Shell stock identification failures appeared at five facilities this week: Let's Dish, Cafe Centro Allora, Seasons 401, Dunkin' Donuts, and Paisano's Pizzaria. Shellfish, particularly oysters, clams, and mussels, are high-risk foods even when properly handled because they are often consumed raw or lightly cooked. The identification tags that must accompany shellfish shipments are the only mechanism inspectors, and public health investigators, have to trace a shellfish-related illness back to a specific harvest location. Without those records, a Vibrio or hepatitis A outbreak tied to shellfish at any of these locations would be significantly harder to contain.
Toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled, found at both Batch New-Southern and Amara Temple, represent an acute and immediate risk distinct from the biological hazards in the rest of this week's data. A mislabeled chemical stored near food or beverage supplies can cause poisoning that presents within minutes, not the hours or days typical of bacterial foodborne illness.
The Longer Record
Let's Dish Caribbean Restaurant has the longest inspection history of any facility in this week's data, with 40 prior inspections on record. Five high-severity violations in its most recent inspection, including shellfish traceability failures and unsanitary food contact surfaces, suggest those prior visits have not produced consistent improvement in the areas that matter most.
Cafe Centro Allora has 36 prior inspections on record, and Batch New-Southern Kitchen and Tap has 31. Both drew five or more high-severity violations this week. Seasons 401, with 35 prior inspections, was still found to be reusing single-use items and lacking proper shell stock records.
Banh Cuon Tan Dinh, which led the week with six high-severity violations, has 27 prior inspections behind it. The simultaneous absence of a person in charge, an employee health policy, illness reporting, adequate handwashing facilities, proper technique, and clean food contact surfaces at a facility with that inspection history is the kind of pattern the records document most starkly.
At the other end of the experience spectrum, Amara Temple Holding Corporation has only five prior inspections on record and was already cited for improperly stored toxic substances and missing consumer advisories. Celona, with seven prior inspections, was found to have no manager on duty and no employee illness reporting system in place.
Renegades Country WPB, with 23 prior inspections, was cited for food not reaching required cooking temperatures. The inspection record does not specify which menu items or what temperatures were measured, leaving that question unresolved.