Popular FL Asian Buffet, Royal Sushi Buffet & Hibachi, Shut Down After State Inspection, 3rd Closure

Photo byUlysse PointchevalonUnsplash

From writing restaurant articles on Newsbreak for years, I have learned that many Floridians love buffets. They love the value, the variety, and the volume. Popular articles have been about Mac-B's and Leci's. Unfortunately, one eatery in this genre, Port Richey's Royal Sushi Buffet & Hibachi, recently temporarily closed down after a state inspection. And it was not the first time.

About Royal Sushi Buffet & Hibachi: This eatery offers sushi, Chinese, and Hibachi options on its buffet at the relatively reasonable prices of $12.49 for lunch - and $16.99 for dinner on weekdays and $17.99 on weekends.

Port Richey visitors and patrons have reviewed this establishment over 2,100 times on Google reviews, where it earns 3.9 out of 5 stars. Reviews are mixed. Some say the food appeared to have been out for too long, but others say the food is tasty. A reviewer named Fiona wrote:

"Great Spot. Simply love this restaurant! Great attentive service! Food is reasonably priced and tasty! We had a good time here. Will be back again. Definitely recommend this place!"

What Happened At Inspection?: According to data from the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation, an inspection occurred on July 15, 2024. At that time, 8 violations were noted.

Basic violations came from the observation of a dead roach and soiled shelves in the walk-in cooler.

Intermediate violations were awarded because oysters were not tagged with the last served date and the handwash sink was not accessible to employees at all times.

Examples of high-priority violations were for the observation of flying objects in the kitchen and for the observation of over 25 live roaches. There was also no time mark on sushi rice on the sushi bar, and a violation was awarded for the dish machine sanitizer not being at proper strength.

At a follow-up on July 15, 2024, three violations remained, but not were considered an immediate threat to the public so the restaurant was free to reopen.

This is not the first closure for this restaurant on US 19. It also had closures in November of 2023 and May of 2024.

Please note that an inspection is one glimpse in time and not necessarily how a restaurant conducts itself every day.