TAMPA, FL. Toxic chemicals were stored improperly near food at Dead Bob's Too on South Westshore Boulevard, state inspectors documented on September 15, and the Tampa bar walked away from that visit with six high-severity violations and no emergency closure order.
The restaurant remained open throughout the inspection and after it.
What Inspectors Found
The chemical storage violation is among the most acute on the list. Inspectors noted that toxic chemicals were not properly stored or labeled near food, a condition that can cause direct contamination of food or beverages without any visible sign that something is wrong.
The facility also had no written employee health policy, meaning there was no formal system in place to keep sick workers out of the kitchen or away from food preparation. Inspectors additionally cited improper handwashing technique, a violation that compounds the sick-worker problem: even employees who attempt to wash their hands may be leaving pathogens behind.
Food contact surfaces were not properly cleaned or sanitized. Inspectors also found that the facility was not correctly using time as a public health control, a method that allows food to sit outside of safe temperature ranges for defined windows. When that method is misapplied, food can remain in the bacterial growth zone for far longer than the rules allow.
Dead Bob's Too was also cited for failing to post a consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods. The one intermediate violation, inadequate ventilation and lighting, rounded out the inspection report.
What These Violations Mean
The chemical storage violation is not a paperwork problem. Cleaning agents, sanitizers, and other toxic compounds stored near food or improperly labeled can contaminate food or drinks directly, and the contamination is often invisible. A customer would have no way to know.
The combination of no employee health policy and improper handwashing technique creates a compounding risk. Without a written policy, a worker with Norovirus, Hepatitis A, or Salmonella has no formal obligation to report illness or stay home. Norovirus alone accounts for roughly 20 million cases of foodborne illness in the United States each year, and it spreads efficiently through food handled by infected workers. Improper handwashing technique means that even a worker who goes through the motions of washing may still be transferring pathogens to every surface and food item they touch afterward.
Improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, including cutting boards and prep tables, are among the most reliable vehicles for bacterial transfer in a commercial kitchen. When those surfaces are not sanitized correctly between uses, whatever was on the last item prepared, including raw meat or poultry, can transfer directly to the next.
The time-as-public-health-control violation is technical in name but straightforward in consequence. When that system is not followed correctly, food can sit in the temperature range where bacteria multiply fastest, between 41 and 135 degrees Fahrenheit, for longer than is safe. There is no visual cue. The food looks and smells the same.
The Longer Record
September's inspection was not an outlier. State records show Dead Bob's Too has been inspected 18 times and has accumulated 127 violations across that history.
Every single inspection on record going back to October 2022 produced at least three high-severity violations. The August 2024 inspection produced seven high-severity violations and one intermediate. The inspections in February and August 2023 each produced six high-severity violations. September 2026 matches that same count of six.
The violations are not random. High-severity citations appear in every inspection on record, without exception, across a span of nearly four years. The facility has never been emergency-closed.
The most recent six-month inspection, in March 2026, produced three high-severity violations. Six months later, that number had doubled back to six. The record does not show a facility trending toward compliance.
Open for Business
State inspectors left Dead Bob's Too on September 15 with a report documenting six high-severity violations, including improperly stored chemicals near food and no system for keeping sick workers away from customers.
The facility was not closed.
