NORTH LAUDERDALE, FL. A state inspector visiting Hook's Fish and Chicken 2 on West McNab Road on June 22 found that the restaurant was not following parasite destruction procedures for its fish, meaning customers could have been served fish containing live Anisakis worms or tapeworm larvae without any of the freezing or cooking steps required to kill them.
That was one of six high-severity violations documented that day. The restaurant was not closed.
What Inspectors Found
The toxic chemical violations were cited twice, once for improper storage or labeling and once for improper identification and use. That means chemicals capable of causing acute poisoning were present in conditions that inspectors flagged as an immediate hazard, not a paperwork problem.
Food contact surfaces, including cutting boards and prep equipment, were found not properly cleaned or sanitized. That is a direct pathway for bacteria from one food item to transfer to the next one prepared on the same surface.
Inspectors also cited employees for improper handwashing technique. The violation is distinct from not washing hands at all. It means workers were going through the motions of handwashing but leaving pathogens on their hands, then returning to food preparation.
The restaurant had no written employee health policy, which means there was no formal mechanism requiring sick employees to report symptoms or stay off the line. The intermediate violation, reusing single-use items, rounds out a picture of a kitchen where basic contamination controls were not functioning.
What These Violations Mean
The parasite destruction failure is the most direct food safety risk documented in this inspection. Fish served at a restaurant that is not following required freezing or cooking protocols can contain live Anisakis, a parasitic roundworm that embeds in the stomach lining and causes severe abdominal pain, nausea, and vomiting. Proper freezing at specific temperatures for specific time periods kills these parasites before the fish reaches a customer's plate. At Hook's Fish and Chicken 2, inspectors found those procedures were not being followed.
The dual chemical violations compound the risk. Chemicals stored near food or improperly labeled can contaminate food directly, and mislabeled chemicals can be mistaken for food-safe substances by employees. These are not violations tied to paperwork or administrative oversight. They describe physical conditions in the kitchen that could cause acute poisoning.
The handwashing technique violation matters in a specific way. Studies of foodborne illness outbreaks consistently show that workers who believe they are washing their hands correctly but are using inadequate technique, skipping steps, or cutting short the duration transfer pathogens at nearly the same rate as workers who skip handwashing entirely. At a restaurant with no written health policy to keep sick workers home, that gap closes further.
Reusing single-use items, the intermediate violation, means gloves, cups, or utensils designed for one use were being used again. Items like single-use gloves lose their barrier integrity after the first use and cannot be sanitized effectively.
The Longer Record
The June 22 inspection was not an outlier. State records show Hook's Fish and Chicken 2 has been inspected 31 times and has accumulated 196 total violations across its history.
The most recent inspections tell a consistent story. In January 2024, inspectors documented seven high-severity violations and two intermediate ones. In July 2023, the count was six high-severity and two intermediate, exactly matching the severity level of the June 22 inspection. In April 2023, inspectors found zero violations, but that single clean inspection sits between two inspections with six or more high-severity findings.
The restaurant was emergency-closed once before, in August 2018, after inspectors found no running water. That closure lasted a single day. The facility reopened the same afternoon.
The pattern since 2024 shows high-severity violations appearing at every inspection. The May 2025 visit produced three high-severity violations. The April 2025 visit produced three high-severity and two intermediate violations. The September and October 2025 visits each produced two high-severity violations. The June 22 inspection, at six high-severity violations, was the worst single-day count since January 2024.
Open for Business
A follow-up inspection took place the day after, on June 23. Inspectors returned and found two high-severity violations still present.
The restaurant was not closed after the June 22 inspection. It was not closed after the June 23 follow-up. State records show it remained open through both visits, with high-severity violations documented on consecutive days, including the failure to follow parasite destruction procedures for the fish it was selling to customers.
