Jacksonville Restaurant Inspections: 3 Emergency Closures and Only 3 Perfect Scores This Week (Oct. 11 to 17)

State inspectors ordered three Jacksonville restaurants to close for emergency fixes during the week of Oct. 11 to 17, and only three businesses got a perfect inspection on a first visit, according to Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR) records.

All three closed restaurants reopened within a day after passing a follow-up inspection. One of them, Kazu Sushi Burrito downtown, has now had three emergency closure orders since August.

Here's everything inspectors found last week in Jacksonville, St. Augustine and nearby towns.

The week by the numbers

Most inspections were in Jacksonville (111) and St. Augustine (34). The rest were in Orange Park, Jacksonville Beach, Ponte Vedra Beach, Neptune Beach, Fleming Island, St. Augustine Beach, Amelia Island and other nearby towns.

How the 89 first-visit inspections ended

The 3 emergency closures

An emergency order is the strongest step an inspector can take on the spot. The business has to stop serving the public until it fixes the problems and passes a call-back inspection.

Kazu Sushi Burrito's third closure since August. State records show emergency orders at the downtown restaurant on Aug. 11, Aug. 31 and Oct. 13. It passed the call-back after each of the last two. At the Oct. 14 call-back, the inspector still recorded one high-priority violation and one basic violation, but the result was listed as complied, so it could reopen.

Fuji 3 had the most high-priority violations of the three, with 8. By the next day's call-back, the inspector recorded none.

Frutas Aguillon was closed with only three violations. That's a reminder that the number of violations isn't the only thing that matters. An emergency order can follow a single serious problem, such as evidence of pests or no hot water.

The state data we use doesn't list the specific violations behind these three orders, so you can see each business's full inspection history on its Jax Times page: Frutas Aguillon, Fuji 3 and Kazu Sushi Burrito.

The 3 perfect inspections

Only three businesses had zero violations on a first-visit routine inspection last week. That's about 1 in 30. A perfect inspection is rare in Florida. Since July, only about 1 in 42 Duval food businesses had one.

Both Uncle KC's locations in St. Augustine had perfect inspections in the same week.

A note on "zero violations" lists: many follow-up visits also show zero violations, because the restaurant fixed what the inspector found the first time. We don't count those here. This list only includes first visits, so it's a fair comparison.

The most violations on a routine inspection

A high violation count doesn't always mean a restaurant is unsafe right now. Many violations are fixed on the spot, and Grilled Cheese Gallery, for example, passed its call-back on Oct. 14 with no violations recorded.

How this week compares with last week

The lower count this week is partly timing. The state posts some inspections several days after they happen, so the Oct. 11–17 totals may still grow. The rates matter more than the totals: in both weeks, about 7 in 10 first visits found at least one high-priority problem, and the average was between 7 and 8 violations.

By area

All three emergency orders were in Jacksonville, and two of the three perfect inspections were in St. Augustine. With fewer than 20 inspections outside Jacksonville this week, one or two inspections can swing those numbers, so watch the trend over several weeks rather than any single one.

New restaurants licensed this week

Before a restaurant can open, or when it changes owners, a state inspector does a licensing inspection. These eight passed last week:

A new license doesn't always mean a brand-new restaurant. The state also does a licensing inspection when an existing restaurant gets a new owner.

What the violations mean

Florida doesn't give restaurants a letter grade or a 0-to-100 score. Inspectors record each problem as one of three types:

• High-priority: problems that could directly contribute to foodborne illness or injury, such as food held at unsafe temperatures or signs of pests.
• Intermediate: problems that could lead to high-priority risks if they aren't fixed, such as missing required food-safety training or paperwork.
• Basic: best-practice and maintenance issues, such as dirty floors or a missing thermometer.

Each inspection then ends with an official result. "Inspection Completed - No Further Action" is the most common. A warning comes with a call-back visit, an administrative complaint can lead to fines, and an emergency order closes the business until it passes a call-back inspection.

How to check any restaurant

Every inspection in this story comes from our free Jacksonville restaurant inspection lookup. You can search any restaurant or food truck by name or ZIP code, see its full history and follow it to get an email when it's inspected again.

See the newest results any time on our new inspections page.

Common questions

How often are Florida restaurants inspected?
The state inspects licensed restaurants on a regular schedule, and more often when a restaurant has had problems. Inspectors also come out when someone files a complaint.

Can I file a complaint about a restaurant?
Yes. You can file a complaint with DBPR's Division of Hotels and Restaurants online at myfloridalicense.com. An inspector may visit as a result.

Why do this week's dates end on Saturday?
State inspection records take a few days to appear online. This roundup covers Sunday, Oct. 11, through Saturday, Oct. 17, the most recent full week available.

We publish this roundup every week. Know a restaurant that deserves a shout-out? Tell us at [email protected].