INTERLACHEN, FL. A state inspector walked into Cowboy at 1116 SR 20 on July 29, 2026, and found that the kitchen was not following parasite destruction procedures for fish, pork, or wild game, meaning customers who ordered those items could have consumed live parasites, including Anisakis roundworms and Trichinella, without any warning on the menu and without any advisory telling them what they were eating.
The inspector also found toxic substances improperly identified, stored, or used inside the facility. That violation sits in its own category: unlike a temperature lapse or a dirty cutting board, a chemical contamination event can cause immediate harm to anyone who consumes a tainted dish.
When the inspection concluded, the restaurant had accumulated seven high-severity violations and five intermediate violations. The Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation did not order it closed.
What Inspectors Found
The shellfish violation adds a separate layer of concern. Inspectors cited inadequate shell stock identification and records, meaning the restaurant could not demonstrate where its oysters, clams, or mussels came from. That matters because shellfish are frequently consumed raw or lightly cooked, and without sourcing records, there is no way to trace a contaminated batch if customers fall ill.
The inspector also found that food contact surfaces were not properly cleaned or sanitized. Cutting boards, prep tables, and other surfaces that touch raw ingredients are a primary transfer point for bacteria like Salmonella and E. coli.
On top of that, the facility had no consumer advisory posted for raw or undercooked foods, employees were not properly reporting illness symptoms, and handwashing technique was cited as inadequate. Those three violations together describe a kitchen where sick workers could handle food without proper hand hygiene and customers would have no notice that certain dishes carried elevated risk.
The intermediate violations compounded the picture. Multi-use utensils were not properly cleaned, single-use items were being reused, wiping cloths were improperly used, cooling and cold-holding equipment was inadequate, and toilet facilities were cited as inadequate or improperly maintained.
What These Violations Mean
The parasite destruction citation is among the most direct physical risks documented in this inspection. When fish, pork, or wild game is not subjected to proper freezing or cooking protocols, parasites can survive into the finished dish. Anisakis, a roundworm found in certain fish, can cause severe abdominal pain and requires surgical or endoscopic removal in serious cases. Trichinella, associated with undercooked pork and wild game, causes muscle inflammation and, in rare cases, cardiac and neurological complications. Neither parasite is visible to the naked eye.
The toxic substance violation is a different category of risk entirely. Improperly stored or unlabeled chemicals in a kitchen can contaminate food through direct contact or cross-contamination with prep surfaces. Unlike a bacterial illness that develops over hours or days, chemical contamination can cause immediate symptoms.
The illness-reporting and handwashing failures work together to create a transmission chain. A sick employee who does not report symptoms continues working. If that employee also uses improper handwashing technique, pathogens remain on the hands. Those hands then touch food contact surfaces that, in this inspection, were already cited as improperly cleaned. Norovirus, one of the most common causes of foodborne illness outbreaks, spreads rapidly through exactly this sequence.
The inadequate cooling equipment citation is not a paperwork problem. If the equipment cannot maintain required temperatures, food sits in the bacterial growth range, between 41 and 135 degrees Fahrenheit, for longer than it should. That is how Salmonella and Listeria multiply to dangerous levels before a dish ever reaches the table.
The Longer Record
The July 29 inspection was not an anomaly. State records show Cowboy has been inspected 26 times and has accumulated 157 total violations across its history. The facility has never been emergency-closed.
The pattern of high-severity violations is consistent and recent. In December 2025, inspectors cited seven high-severity violations and one intermediate. In April 2025, the count was eight high-severity violations and one intermediate. In October 2024, it was six high-severity violations and two intermediate. In May 2026, a separate inspection found six high-severity violations and four intermediate violations before a same-day follow-up cleared those findings.
That is four inspections in roughly nine months, each producing between six and eight high-severity violations. The July 29 inspection produced seven.
A follow-up inspection two days later, on July 31, found zero high-severity violations and one intermediate. The rapid turnaround suggests the facility can address citations quickly when pressed. The question the record raises is why the same categories of violations keep appearing in the first place.
Open for Business
After an inspector documented seven high-severity violations at Cowboy on July 29, including failures in parasite destruction, toxic substance handling, shellfish traceability, surface sanitation, consumer advisories, illness reporting, and handwashing technique, the restaurant was not ordered closed.
It remained open.
