ORLANDO, FL. Inspectors visiting Jack and Mary's Restaurant on South Goldenrod Road on October 6 found that the kitchen was not following parasite destruction procedures, meaning fish, pork, or wild game served there could reach customers with live parasites intact.
That was one of seven high-severity violations documented in a single visit. The restaurant was not closed.
What Inspectors Found
The parasite violation was not the only finding that put customers at direct risk. Inspectors also cited toxic chemicals stored improperly near food, a violation that can cause acute poisoning if a chemical contaminates a food surface or is mistaken for another product.
Food contact surfaces, the cutting boards and prep equipment that touch every ingredient before it reaches a plate, were not being properly cleaned or sanitized. That is one of the most direct routes for bacterial transfer in any kitchen.
The restaurant was also cited for failing to use time as a public health control correctly. When a kitchen tracks time instead of temperature to manage food safety, the rules require strict logging and disposal windows. Those procedures were not being followed.
Inspectors further noted that the restaurant had no consumer advisory posted for raw or undercooked foods. Without that notice, customers with compromised immune systems, pregnant women, the elderly, and young children have no way to make an informed choice about what they order.
Employees were observed using improper handwashing technique, and the restaurant had no written employee health policy. Two intermediate violations rounded out the inspection: inadequate ventilation and lighting, and improperly maintained toilet facilities.
What These Violations Mean
The parasite destruction failure is among the most direct biological risks in food service. Anisakis, tapeworm, and Trichinella are parasites that survive in undercooked or improperly frozen fish, pork, and wild game. Proper freezing protocols exist specifically to kill them before food is served. When those protocols are not followed at a restaurant like Jack and Mary's, there is no backstop between the parasite and the customer's plate.
The toxic chemical storage violation compounds the risk. Chemicals stored near or above food preparation areas can contaminate surfaces or food directly, and mislabeled containers can be mistaken for food-safe products. The consequences range from gastrointestinal illness to acute poisoning.
Improper handwashing technique is more dangerous than no handwashing at all in one specific way: it creates the appearance of compliance while leaving pathogens on hands. A worker who runs water over their hands for three seconds and returns to food prep has technically washed their hands. The inspection record says that is what was happening here.
The absence of an employee health policy means there is no written requirement for sick workers to stay out of the kitchen. Norovirus, one of the most contagious foodborne illnesses in the United States, spreads primarily through infected food handlers. Without a policy requiring disclosure and exclusion, a symptomatic employee has no formal obligation to stop working.
The Longer Record
The October 6 inspection was not an outlier. State records show Jack and Mary's has been inspected 36 times and has accumulated 250 total violations. The restaurant has never been emergency-closed.
The most recent inspection before October 6 was on August 12, 2026, when inspectors found eight high-severity violations and one intermediate. The inspection before that, in February 2026, produced five high-severity and five intermediate violations. Going back to September 2025, the count was seven high-severity and one intermediate.
In other words, every inspection conducted at this restaurant in the past two years has produced at least five high-severity violations. The February 2024 cycle included two separate inspections within three days of each other: eight high-severity violations on February 2, followed by two high-severity violations on February 5.
The Pattern
The violations at Jack and Mary's are not scattered across random categories. The same clusters reappear: food handling failures, sanitation failures, and policy gaps that affect every person who works in or eats from that kitchen.
A restaurant with 36 inspections on record and 250 total violations has been seen by inspectors roughly every five to six weeks on average. Each visit has produced findings. The categories documented on October 6, including parasite procedures, chemical storage, food contact surface sanitation, and the absence of a health policy, are not new discoveries at this address.
The restaurant remained open after the October 6 inspection.
