Today I was thinking about what to eat for lunch and Juice & Java popped into my head. Unfortunately I had to tell my brain "NO!" when the memories of something that happened on June 2, 2011 surfaced.\r
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Then I thought about why I did not warn others about my experience and hence the reason for why I am coming forward now. This review is not to bad mouth Juice & Java or to harm the establishment's reputation. It is merely a caution to visitors of the Boca Raton establishment in particular.\r
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Juice & Java has a great menu and I used to always get excited when I had not been there for a while. I even had a favorite meal which was the smoked salmon wrap and a #1 smoothie which I believe is pineapple, orange and banana.\r
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One day on June 2, 2011 I ordered my usual smoked salmon wrap and #1 smoothie for lunch. The time was approximately 2:45pm (a late lunch so I was hungry). That morning I had some fig newton's and coffee. Around 4:30pm I started to develop symptoms of headache, chills, sweating and thought I was coming down with a cold. Later that night my temperature rose to 102 and I have never felt my heart beat so fast in my life. I started to get scared and my girlfriend was worried too. It is important to mention I had no sinus symptoms at all and I thought that was strange. This was straight up fever like my body was fighting something foreign. I decided against going to the hospital and to try to sleep it off. That night was torture to the tenth power. Thinking back I must have been crazy. I could have died if the poisoning was strong enough.\r
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Around 12:00pm the following day the symptoms started to subside and I started to feel normal again. Realizing what had happened in the last 24 hours I knew I had been food poisoned. I am certain that the cause was the smoked salmon from Juice & Java.\r
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I went online and I filed an official complaint with the Florida Department of Health. They have a sub department called the Food and Waterborne Illness Program. I also emailed the franchise owner for Juice & Java Alex Sverdlov. Alex responded that there was nothing he could do and to contact the manager of the Boca Raton location.\r
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At the time I had felt that the complaint was enough closure because if anyone else were to come forward the Boca location would have bigger problems. So I did not contact the manager and put it to rest until now.\r
Since I was poisoned I have stopped going to Juice & Java and warned all of my friends to eat at your own risk. It is sad that I cannot trust Juice & Java anymore because I really liked going there. You have to ask yourself if you were poisoned somewhere would you ever go back?\r
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If you have read this far then thank you. At least someone will know about my experience and make an informed decision from here. For the record this the first time in my life I have ever been food poisoned. I am 38 years old. Sorry to Juice and Java in Boca. You had it coming. I hope you improve your food handling guidelines.
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