5 Alachua County restaurants cited for high-priority violations
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Florida's restaurant owners are not required to post restaurant inspection results where guests can see them. So every week, we provide that information for you.
For a complete list of local restaurant inspections, including violations not requiring warnings or administrative action, visit our Alachua County restaurant inspections site.
Here's the breakdown for recent health inspections in Alachua County for the week of Dec. 25-31, 2023. Please note that some more recent, follow-up inspections may not be included here.
Disclaimer: The Florida Department of Business & Professional Regulation describes an inspection report as a 'snapshot' of conditions present at the time of the inspection. On any given day, an establishment may have fewer or more violations than noted in their most recent inspection. An inspection conducted on any given day may not be representative of the overall, long-term conditions at the establishment.
For full restaurant inspection details, visit our Alachua County restaurant inspection site.
Which Alachua County restaurants got perfect scores on their health inspections?
These restaurants met all standards during their Dec. 25-31 inspections and no violations were found.
- Cold Stone Creamery #559, 3433 Archer Road, Gainesville**
- I Love N.Y Pizza, 2645 SW 91st St., Gainesville**
** Restaurants that failed an inspection and aced a follow-up inspection in the same week
Which Alachua County restaurants had high priority violations?
China Express Alachua
16181 NW U.S. 441, Alachua
Routine Inspection on Dec. 27
Follow-Up Inspection Required: Violations require further review, but are not an immediate threat to the public.
8 total violations, with 2 high-priority violations
- High Priority - Raw animal food stored over/not properly separated from ready-to-eat food. Raw chicken stored over chicken soy sauce in walk-in cooler. Manager placed chicken on bottom shelf next to soy sauce. **Corrected On-Site** **Repeat Violation** **Admin Complaint**
- High Priority - Toxic substance/chemical improperly stored. Bottles of soap stored next to cans of ketchup on shelf in back storage area. Manager moved soap to shelf with other chemicals. **Corrected On-Site** **Repeat Violation** **Admin Complaint**
Hopdoddy Burger Bar
2917 SW 35th Drive, Gainesville
Routine Inspection on Dec. 27
Follow-Up Inspection Required: Violations require further review, but are not an immediate threat to the public.
9 total violations, with 3 high-priority violations
- High Priority - Employee failed to wash hands before putting on gloves to initiate a task working with food. Observed: cook line staff handle raw hamburger, then a tray used for table service and then the bump bar, no hand wash and Change of gloves.
- High Priority - Time/temperature control for safety food cold held at greater than 41 degrees Fahrenheit. Observed: cooked mushrooms on the wood countertop in the kitchen, 67F. **Warning**
- High Priority - Time/temperature control for safety food, other than whole meat roast, hot held at less than 135 degrees Fahrenheit. Observed: on the cook line, cooked mushrooms 91F, ground beef in sauce 101F, soup 128F . **Repeat Violation** **Admin Complaint**
Santa Fe Bar
23731 S. U.S. 441, High Springs
Routine Inspection on Dec. 27
Follow-Up Inspection Required: Violations require further review, but are not an immediate threat to the public.
6 total violations, with 1 high-priority violation
- High Priority - Operating with an expired Division of Hotels and Restaurants license. 6/1/2023, operator paid fees during inspection. **Corrected On-Site** **Admin Complaint**
Ten Seconds Rice Noodle
5248 SW 34th St., Gainesville
Routine Inspection on Dec. 28
Follow-Up Inspection Required: Violations require further review, but are not an immediate threat to the public.
7 total violations, with 3 high-priority violations
- High Priority - Dishmachine chlorine sanitizer not at proper minimum strength. Discontinue use of dishmachine for sanitizing and set up manual sanitization until dishmachine is repaired and sanitizing properly. Observed: the dish wash machine at 0 ppm for chlorine. Chlorine has been ordered, per the manager. **Corrective Action Taken**
- High Priority - Employee touching ready-to-eat food with their bare hands - food was not being heated as a sole ingredient to 145 degrees F or immediately added to other ingredients to be cooked/heated to the minimum required temperature to allow bare hand contact. Establishment has no approved Alternative Operating Procedure. Observed: kitchen staff cutting scallions, no gloves, items are not being immediately cooked to 145F or above. Gloves were added. **Corrected On-Site**
- High Priority - Time/temperature control for safety food identified in the written procedure as a food held using time as a public health control has no time marking and the time removed from temperature control cannot be determined. Observed: cooked pasta from the walk-in cooler, no time mark, waiting for orders at the cook line. Observed: cooked corn and ham on the prep table, awaiting customer orders. Time stamp we're added to items, with a discard time of 3:00pm. **Corrected On-Site** **Repeat Violation** **Admin Complaint**
Wok & Roll
15551 NW U.S. 441, Alachua
Routine Inspection on Dec. 28
Follow-Up Inspection Required: Violations require further review, but are not an immediate threat to the public.
7 total violations, with 2 high-priority violations
- High Priority - Employee touched soiled surface and then engaged in food preparation, handled clean equipment or utensils, or touched unwrapped single-service items without washing hands. Employee handled cash register and proceeded to handle clean to go containers without washing hands. Manager had employee wash hands and use different to go containers. **Corrective Action Taken** **Repeat Violation** **Admin Complaint**
- High Priority - Raw animal food stored over/not properly separated from ready-to-eat food. Shell eggs stored over soy sauce in walk-in cooler. Manager placed eggs on bottom shelf. **Corrected On-Site**
What agency inspects restaurants in Florida?
Routine regulation and inspection of restaurants is conducted by the Department of Business and Professional Regulation. The Department of Health is responsible for investigation and control of food-borne illness outbreaks associated with all food establishments.
How do I report a dirty restaurant in Florida?
If you see abuses of state standards, report them and the Department of Business and Professional Regulation will send inspectors. Call the Florida DBPR at 850-487-1395 or report a restaurant for health violations online.
Get the whole story at our restaurant inspection database.
What does all that terminology in Florida restaurant inspections mean?
Basic violations are those considered against best practices.
A warning is issued after an inspector documents violations that must be corrected by a certain date or within a specified number of days from receipt of the inspection report.
An administrative complaint is a form of legal action taken by the division. Insufficient compliance after a warning, a pattern of repeat violations or existence of serious conditions that warrant immediate action may result in the division initiating an administrative complaint against the establishment. Says the division website: "Correcting the violations is important, but penalties may still result from violations corrected after the warning time was over."
An emergency order — when a restaurant is closed by the inspector — is based on an immediate threat to the public. Here, the Division of Hotels and Restaurants director has determined that the establishment must stop doing business and any division license is suspended to protect health, safety or welfare of the public.
A 24-hour call-back inspection will be performed after an emergency closure or suspension of license.