WEST PALM BEACH, FL. Olive Garden at 3533 North Lake Blvd drew six high-severity violations during the week of July 15, 2026, including citations for food from an unapproved or unknown source and no written employee health policy, records from the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation show. Thirteen other West Palm Beach restaurants also received high-severity citations that week, part of a pattern inspectors documented across 14 facilities in Palm Beach County.
The Olive Garden violations did not stop there. Inspectors also cited the restaurant for inadequate shell stock identification, no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods, an employee not reporting symptoms of illness, and a person in charge not present or not performing duties. That last citation, the absence of active managerial control, is the kind of finding that tends to explain the rest of the list.
What Inspectors Found
Makeb's Bagels at 300 S Dixie Hwy matched Olive Garden with six high-severity violations of its own, including inadequate handwashing by food employees, improper hand and arm washing technique, food contact surfaces not properly cleaned or sanitized, no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods, inadequate shell stock identification, and an employee not reporting symptoms of illness. Six high-severity violations with zero intermediate citations is an unusual profile, suggesting inspectors found no minor problems because the major ones were too serious to look past.
Clean Eatz at 1540 Palm Beach Lakes Blvd drew five high-severity violations, including a citation for parasite destruction procedures not followed and no allergen awareness demonstrated. For a restaurant whose name implies health-conscious preparation, the parasite citation is notable: without proper freezing or cooking protocols, parasites including Anisakis in fish and Trichinella in pork can survive and infect customers.
Top of the Rox at 309 Clematis St was cited for toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled alongside inadequate handwashing facilities and improper hand and arm washing technique. Improperly stored chemicals near food create a direct contamination risk that has nothing to do with bacterial growth timelines.
Newport Diner at 2677 Forest Hill Blvd collected four high-severity violations including inadequate shell stock identification and no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods. Inspectors also cited an employee not reporting symptoms of illness and improper hand and arm washing technique.
Grato at 1901 S Dixie Hwy was cited for food from an unapproved or unknown source, inadequate handwashing facilities, and no consumer advisory, along with three intermediate violations including improperly used wiping cloths and inadequate toilet facilities.
Three pizza operations drew high-severity citations the same week. City Pizza at 1855 Palm Beach Lakes Blvd was cited for toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled, inadequate shell stock identification, and no consumer advisory. Hot Pie Pizza at 123 S Olive Ave received citations for improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, toxic chemicals improperly stored, and improper hand and arm washing technique, along with intermediate violations for improper sewage disposal and inadequate toilet facilities. Marco's Pizza at 1540 Palm Beach Lakes Blvd was cited for inadequate handwashing, parasite destruction procedures not followed, and toxic chemicals improperly stored.
LongHorn Steakhouse at 6841 Okeechobee Blvd drew three high-severity violations: an employee not reporting symptoms of illness, improper hand and arm washing technique, and toxic substances improperly identified, stored, or used.
Guaca Go #2 at 3073 S Dixie Hwy and Tropical Smoothie Cafe at 3081 S Dixie Hwy sit within a block of each other and were both cited during the same inspection week. Guaca Go received citations for an employee not reporting symptoms of illness and inadequate shell stock identification. Tropical Smoothie Cafe was cited for no employee health policy and time as a public health control not properly used, a violation that means food was held in the temperature danger zone longer than the documented time limit allowed.
Eurest Dining Services at 17900 Beeline Hwy was cited for no employee health policy and food contact surfaces not properly cleaned or sanitized. Tacos Al Carbon Bar and Grill at 2161 Palm Beach Lakes Blvd drew citations for inadequate handwashing facilities and improper hand and arm washing technique.
What These Violations Mean
The most repeated high-severity violation across this week's inspections was "employee not reporting symptoms of illness," cited at Olive Garden, Makeb's Bagels, Clean Eatz, Newport Diner, LongHorn Steakhouse, and Guaca Go. A sick food worker who continues handling food is the most direct transmission route for Norovirus, which causes an estimated 20 million illnesses in the United States each year. The violation is not about an employee who showed up sick once; it reflects the absence of a system that would prevent it from happening at all.
Handwashing failures appeared in a different form at multiple locations. Makeb's Bagels was cited for both inadequate handwashing by employees and improper technique, meaning workers were attempting to wash hands but doing it incorrectly. Top of the Rox, Newport Diner, Clean Eatz, LongHorn Steakhouse, Tacos Al Carbon, Marco's Pizza, and Hot Pie Pizza all received the technique violation. Studies show that improper technique, specifically not scrubbing for the required 20 seconds with soap, leaves live pathogens on hands even after a wash attempt.
Food from unapproved sources was cited at both Olive Garden and Grato. When food bypasses USDA and FDA inspection systems, there is no traceability if customers become ill. If a contaminated batch of shellfish or produce causes an outbreak, health officials cannot trace it back to the source without supplier documentation, which means they cannot issue a recall or warn others who received the same shipment.
Toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled appeared at Top of the Rox, City Pizza, Hot Pie Pizza, Marco's Pizza, and LongHorn Steakhouse. This is not a paperwork violation. Unlabeled chemical containers stored near food preparation areas have caused acute poisoning incidents when the contents were mistaken for food-safe products.
The Longer Record
Top of the Rox has 31 prior inspections on record, the highest count among this week's cited facilities. Thirty-one inspections represent years of regulatory contact, and this week's citations for toxic chemical storage and inadequate handwashing infrastructure suggest the facility has not resolved structural problems across that span.
City Pizza has 30 prior inspections and Hot Pie Pizza has 28, both among the most-inspected facilities in this week's group. City Pizza's citation for toxic chemicals improperly stored and Hot Pie Pizza's citations for improperly cleaned food contact surfaces and sewage disposal violations are not the kinds of findings expected from facilities with long regulatory histories.
Clean Eatz has 14 prior inspections on record and Olive Garden has 13, both moderate histories that make their combined 11 high-severity violations this week more striking. Newport Diner, with 26 prior inspections, was cited again for shellfish traceability failures, a category that requires specific documentation practices that should be routine by any facility's third or fourth inspection.
Marco's Pizza has only 6 prior inspections on record, the fewest of any facility cited this week, and already drew three high-severity violations including parasite destruction failures and improper sewage disposal. Makeb's Bagels has 7 prior inspections and collected six high-severity violations. Both locations are relatively new to the inspection record, and both are already accumulating citations in the most serious categories.
Grato has 25 prior inspections and was cited this week for food from an unapproved source, the same category that appeared at Olive Garden. Whether either facility has received that citation in prior inspection cycles is not reflected in the data available for this report.
