ENGLEWOOD, FL. Food workers at End Zone Inc on South McCall Road had no requirement to report illness symptoms to management, state records show, and the restaurant remained open to customers the day inspectors documented that finding alongside five other high-severity violations.
The August 14 inspection produced nine total violations, six of them high-severity. That is the worst single-inspection count the Englewood sports bar has logged in more than two years, and it comes against a backdrop of 190 total violations across 26 inspections on record.
What Inspectors Found
The two illness violations worked together in a troubling way. The facility had no written employee health policy, and separately, an employee was not reporting illness symptoms. Those are not the same violation listed twice. The first means management had no formal system in place to require reporting. The second means someone on staff was symptomatic and not disclosing it.
Inspectors also found that required procedures for specialized food processes were not being followed, and that food contact surfaces were not being properly cleaned and sanitized. Cutting boards and prep surfaces that carry bacteria from one food to the next are among the most consistent contamination vehicles in food service kitchens.
Shellfish traceability records were cited as inadequate. The facility also had no demonstrated allergen awareness, meaning staff could not reliably identify which menu items contained common allergens.
The three intermediate violations covered improper wiping cloth use, inadequate ventilation and lighting, and problems with toilet facilities.
What These Violations Mean
The pairing of no illness policy and an employee not reporting symptoms is the combination that precedes outbreaks. Norovirus spreads primarily through infected food workers who continue handling food while sick. A written policy that requires employees to report vomiting, diarrhea, jaundice, or sore throat with fever is the first line of defense. Without one, there is no mechanism to remove a sick worker before customers are exposed.
Shellfish traceability is a separate but serious concern. Oysters, clams, and mussels are frequently eaten raw or lightly cooked, and they concentrate whatever pathogens exist in the water they were harvested from. The tag system that tracks shellfish from harvest location to table exists specifically so that public health officials can trace the source if customers get sick. When those records are inadequate, that trail disappears.
The allergen violation carries a different kind of urgency. Food allergies affect tens of millions of Americans, and reactions severe enough to require emergency room treatment number in the tens of thousands each year. When staff cannot identify allergens in the dishes they are serving, a customer with a serious allergy has no reliable way to protect themselves.
Unsanitized food contact surfaces compound every other risk. Bacteria transferred from a contaminated surface to the next dish served can cause illness even when the underlying ingredients were safe.
The Longer Record
End Zone Inc: Inspection Pattern, 2023–2026
The August 2026 inspection is not an anomaly. Every routine inspection in the prior three years produced at least one high-severity violation. The January 2025 inspection found four high-severity violations. The July 2025 inspection found three. The February 2026 inspection found one. The count has now climbed back to six.
The facility's worst recent stretch came in 2023. Inspectors documented nine high-severity violations in May of that year and seven more in July, the latter accompanied by eight intermediate violations. Those numbers triggered no emergency closure at the time.
The one emergency closure on record came in December 2017, when inspectors found roach activity and ordered the restaurant shut. It reopened the following day. Across 26 inspections and 190 total violations, that remains the only time the facility was ordered closed.
The state did not close End Zone Inc after the August 14 inspection. Six high-severity violations, including a finding that an employee was actively not reporting illness symptoms, and the restaurant stayed open.
