GULFPORT, FL. State inspectors visited O'Maddys Bar & Grille on Shore Boulevard on May 12 and found that food was not being cooked to required minimum temperatures, a violation that inspectors flag as a direct pathway for pathogens like Salmonella to survive and reach a customer's plate. The restaurant was not emergency-closed.
That single finding was one of seven high-severity violations documented that day, along with four intermediate violations, at the waterfront Gulfport bar and grille.
What Inspectors Found
The undercooking violation was not the only finding with direct public health consequences. Inspectors also cited the restaurant because an employee was not reporting symptoms of illness, a condition regulators describe as the number one cause of multi-victim outbreaks. Norovirus and similar pathogens spread rapidly when sick food workers remain on the line.
Inspectors additionally found toxic substances improperly identified, stored, or used, a violation that creates immediate risk of chemical contamination of food or food-contact surfaces. That citation appeared alongside findings that handwashing facilities were inadequate and that employees were not washing their hands and arms using proper technique, meaning pathogens could remain on hands even when a washing attempt was made.
No consumer advisory was posted for raw or undercooked foods. That omission leaves customers who are elderly, pregnant, or immunocompromised without the information they need to make a safe choice from the menu.
The inspection also found no person in charge present or performing duties. State data shows establishments without active managerial control accumulate critical violations at three times the rate of those with engaged management on the floor.
Among the four intermediate violations: multi-use utensils were not properly cleaned, a condition that allows bacterial biofilms to develop within 24 hours on surfaces that appear visually clean. Single-use items were being reused. Ventilation and lighting were inadequate. Toilet facilities were inadequate or improperly maintained, which regulators note discourages proper handwashing by staff.
What These Violations Mean
The undercooking citation carries a specific and well-documented risk. Salmonella in poultry survives below 165 degrees Fahrenheit and can cause severe illness within hours of ingestion. When a restaurant does not reliably reach required cooking temperatures, every plate of poultry, ground meat, or eggs served represents an uncontrolled variable for the customer eating it.
The employee illness reporting failure compounds that risk. When a food worker with norovirus or a similar illness continues handling food without reporting symptoms, the transmission route from worker to food to customer is direct and difficult to interrupt after the fact. This is how single-restaurant outbreaks become multi-victim events.
The combination of inadequate handwashing facilities and improper handwashing technique documented at O'Maddys on May 12 is particularly significant. Inadequate facilities mean workers cannot wash properly even if they try. Improper technique means that even when a sink is available and used, the wash may not remove pathogens. Both violations appearing together on the same inspection report means the facility had no reliable barrier between employee hands and food.
The improper storage or use of toxic substances adds a separate category of risk entirely. Chemical contamination of food or food-contact surfaces can produce illness that mimics foodborne bacterial illness but is not traceable to a pathogen, making it harder to identify and respond to after the fact.
The Longer Record
The May 12 inspection did not occur in a vacuum. State records show O'Maddys has been inspected 40 times and has accumulated 435 violations across its history, including two prior emergency closures, both in 2020, both for roach activity. The first closure was May 18, 2020, and the restaurant reopened the following day. A second closure followed on October 28, 2020, with reopening the next day.
The high-severity violation counts in recent years tell a consistent story. Inspectors found 12 high-severity violations on February 28, 2024, and another 12 on October 23, 2023. The August 2024 inspection produced 9 high-severity violations, and the December 2025 inspection produced 8. The May 12 visit, with 7 high-severity violations, fits squarely in the middle of that range.
This is not a facility that recently began accumulating serious citations. The pattern of double-digit high-severity findings in 2023 and 2024, followed by continued high counts in 2025 and now 2026, suggests these are not isolated lapses.
The facility had 2 high-severity violations in April 2025, its lowest count in recent years. Two months later, in December 2025, that number had climbed back to 8. By May 2026 it stood at 7.
Open for Business
State inspectors documented all eleven violations on May 12 and left. O'Maddys Bar & Grille, with food not cooked to temperature, no manager performing duties, an employee not reporting illness symptoms, and toxic substances improperly stored, remained open to customers that day.