MIAMI SPRINGS, FL. A state inspector visiting Old Tom's Sports Bar Restaurant at 5001 NW 36 St in September found that the kitchen was not following required parasite destruction procedures for fish, meaning customers could have consumed raw or undercooked seafood harboring live Anisakis worms or tapeworm larvae without any warning on the menu.
That was one of eight high-severity violations documented during the September 21 inspection. The restaurant was not closed.
What Inspectors Found
The parasite violation is among the most direct threats to a diner's health. Proper procedure requires that fish served raw or undercooked be frozen to specific temperatures for a set period before service, killing parasites that cooking would otherwise destroy. The inspector found those procedures were not being followed.
Toxic chemicals were found improperly stored or labeled, a violation that carries acute risk. Cleaning agents and sanitizers stored near food preparation areas or mislabeled can contaminate food directly, and the resulting poisoning can be immediate.
Inspectors also cited the kitchen for not cooking food to required minimum temperatures. Salmonella in poultry survives below 165 degrees Fahrenheit. There was no consumer advisory posted to warn customers that raw or undercooked items were on the menu, meaning diners had no notice that they were accepting any of that risk.
The restaurant also lacked an adequate employee health policy, meaning there was no written requirement for sick workers to stay out of the kitchen. Shellfish on hand, whether oysters, clams, or mussels, could not be traced to their source because shell stock identification records were inadequate or missing. Food contact surfaces were not properly cleaned and sanitized. And time was not being used correctly as a public health control, meaning food was sitting in the temperature danger zone, between 41 and 135 degrees, without the tracking required to know when it had to be discarded.
What These Violations Mean
The parasite destruction failure and the missing consumer advisory are connected problems. When a kitchen serves fish that has not been properly frozen, and posts no warning that the item may be raw or undercooked, customers have no way to make an informed choice. Elderly diners, pregnant women, and anyone with a compromised immune system face the highest risk from parasitic infection, which can cause severe gastrointestinal illness and, in some cases, require surgical intervention.
The shell stock traceability violation compounds that risk. Shellfish are filter feeders that can concentrate bacteria and viruses from surrounding water. The records inspectors require, tags that identify where and when shellfish were harvested, exist for one reason: if customers get sick, investigators need to trace the source fast. Without those records, that chain breaks.
The employee health policy violation is not a paperwork problem. Without a written policy requiring sick workers to stay home, there is no enforceable standard inside the kitchen. Norovirus, one of the most common causes of foodborne illness outbreaks in restaurant settings, spreads directly from infected food handlers to customers. The improperly cleaned multi-use utensils found at Old Tom's add another transmission route, as bacterial biofilms can form on utensil surfaces within 24 hours and survive standard rinsing.
The Longer Record
The September 21 inspection was not an anomaly. State records show Old Tom's Sports Bar has been inspected 27 times and has accumulated 350 total violations. The facility has never been emergency-closed.
The eight high-severity violations found in September match exactly the count from the January 2026 inspection. The inspection before that, in July 2025, turned up five high-severity violations. September 2024 produced nine. Every inspection on record going back to at least December 2022 has included at least four high-severity violations.
That is eight consecutive inspections, spanning nearly four years, each one documenting multiple high-severity findings. The categories repeat. Food handling. Sourcing records. Employee health controls. The record does not describe a kitchen that slipped once. It describes one that has been cited for serious violations at every documented visit and has not been shut down for any of them.
Old Tom's Sports Bar at 5001 NW 36 St remained open after the September 21 inspection.
