BAY COUNTY, FL. An ice cream shop on Panama City Beach was cited for six high-severity violations in a single inspection last week, including food sourced from unapproved suppliers and toxic chemicals stored improperly near food, while a Cracker Barrel across the county racked up its own six critical failures, among them a documented lack of allergen awareness and food in poor condition.
State inspectors visited 33 facilities across 32 Bay County locations between July 21 and July 27, 2026. Twelve of those facilities accumulated two or more high-severity violations. The week produced at least 50 high-priority citations across those worst performers alone.
The Violations
Pink Pelican Ice Cream Bar on North Richard Jackson Boulevard led the county with six high-severity citations. Inspectors found food from an unapproved or unknown source, improper hand and arm washing technique, food contact surfaces not properly cleaned or sanitized, and toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled. The facility also lacked a consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods and had no person in charge present or performing duties.
Cracker Barrel #749 on East 23rd Street in Panama City matched that total with six high-severity violations of its own. Inspectors cited inadequate handwashing by food employees, food in poor condition or adulterated, food contact surfaces not properly cleaned, time as a public health control not properly used, toxic substances improperly stored, and no allergen awareness demonstrated.
Bird & Brew Co at Pier Park drew five high-severity violations, three of them directly tied to employee illness. Inspectors found no employee health policy, employees not reporting symptoms of illness, and no person in charge on duty. The facility was also cited for food from an unapproved source and inadequate shell stock identification records, which tracks the origin of oysters, clams, and mussels served raw or lightly cooked.
Chili's on Panama City Beach Parkway was cited for five high-severity violations, including employees not reporting illness symptoms, food from unapproved sources, improper use of time as a public health control, no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods, and toxic chemicals stored or labeled improperly.
Hibachi Express and Sushi on Hutchinson Boulevard also produced five high-severity citations. Inspectors found no person in charge present, inadequate handwashing facilities, food contact surfaces not properly cleaned, no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods, and toxic substances improperly identified or stored.
Jin Jin Fusion Inc on Front Beach Road accumulated five high-severity and six intermediate violations, the heaviest combined total of the week. The intermediate citations included improper sewage or wastewater disposal and inadequate cooling and cold holding equipment, both of which compound the risks from the high-severity findings.
Sharky's Beachfront Restaurant on Front Beach Road was cited for five high-severity violations, two of them involving chemicals. Inspectors found both toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled and toxic substances improperly identified or stored, alongside no person in charge, employees not reporting illness, and improper handwashing technique.
Canopy Road Cafe on US Highway 98 East in Inlet Beach drew four high-severity citations, including employees not reporting illness symptoms, improper handwashing technique, time as a public health control not properly used, and no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods.
Diego's Burrito Factory on Sunset Drive was cited for four high-severity violations, among them inadequate shell stock identification records and food contact surfaces not properly cleaned. Another Broken Egg Cafe on Hutchison Boulevard drew three high-severity citations including food in poor condition and toxic substances improperly stored.
Do Play on Aberdeen Parkway in Panama City was cited for three high-severity violations: no person in charge, no employee health policy, and no allergen awareness demonstrated. Olive Garden Italian Restaurant #1774 on Panama City Beach Parkway rounded out the twelve worst performers with three high-severity citations, including food from an unapproved source and improper sewage or wastewater disposal.
What These Violations Mean
The employee illness violations documented at Bird & Brew Co, Chili's, Sharky's, Canopy Road Cafe, Diego's Burrito Factory, Jin Jin Fusion, Another Broken Egg Cafe, and Olive Garden represent one of the most direct transmission routes for foodborne illness. Norovirus, the pathogen most commonly spread by sick food workers, can infect dozens of customers from a single employee who handles food while symptomatic. A written health policy is not a formality. It is the mechanism that tells workers when to stay home and gives management the authority to send them there.
The food-from-unapproved-sources citations at Pink Pelican, Bird & Brew Co, Chili's, and Olive Garden carry a specific risk that extends beyond the meal itself. When food enters a kitchen through an uninspected supplier, there is no traceability if a customer gets sick. Health investigators cannot trace an outbreak back to a contaminated batch if the batch was never logged through a licensed distributor. Listeria and Salmonella are the pathogens most commonly linked to uninspected supply chains.
The chemical storage violations at Pink Pelican, Chili's, Jin Jin Fusion, Sharky's, and Olive Garden are among the most immediately dangerous findings in this week's data. Cleaning agents and pesticides stored near or above food preparation surfaces can contaminate food directly, without any warning sign or taste difference. Mislabeled chemical containers create a second risk: a worker who grabs the wrong bottle in a busy kitchen.
The shell stock traceability failures at Bird & Brew Co and Diego's Burrito Factory are a distinct category of concern. Oysters and clams are frequently served raw or minimally cooked, and they filter water as they grow, concentrating any pathogens present. Without proper identification tags, a facility cannot pinpoint where its shellfish came from if a customer develops illness after eating them.
The Longer Record
Jin Jin Fusion Inc on Front Beach Road carries the longest inspection history among the week's worst performers, and this week's eleven total violations, five high-severity and six intermediate, including an improper sewage disposal citation and inadequate cooling equipment, represent a serious accumulation at a facility that has been in the state system long enough to have addressed these categories in prior cycles.
Sharky's Beachfront Restaurant on Front Beach Road also has an established inspection record. The combination of two separate chemical-storage citations in a single inspection, one for improper storage or labeling and one for improper identification or use, suggests the issue is systemic rather than incidental.
Bird & Brew Co at Pier Park drew three violations directly tied to employee illness reporting and policy, all in the same inspection. The absence of a written health policy, the absence of illness reporting, and the absence of a person in charge are not three separate failures. They describe the same gap: a facility where no one has formalized the rules that prevent sick workers from handling food.
Cracker Barrel #749 on East 23rd Street is a national chain with standardized training programs and corporate food safety protocols. Six high-severity violations in a single inspection, including a documented failure to demonstrate allergen awareness, is a result that sits outside what corporate standards are designed to produce. The record from this week's inspection stands on its own.
