PORT ORANGE, FL. Original Famous Philly's at 5251 S Nova Road was cited on June 16 for operating without an approved potable water supply, meaning the water used to prepare food, wash hands, and clean surfaces may not have met basic safety standards, yet state inspectors left the restaurant open.
The water violation was one of seven high-severity citations issued that day. Inspectors also documented food from an unapproved or unknown source, toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled, improper handwashing technique, food contact surfaces not properly cleaned or sanitized, no employee health policy, and inadequate shellfish identification records. Three intermediate violations rounded out the inspection, covering improper sewage or wastewater disposal, improperly cleaned multi-use utensils, and inadequate toilet facilities.
What Inspectors Found
The potable water citation and the food sourcing violation together represent a near-total breakdown of the supply chain safeguards that food safety codes are built around. Water that has not been verified as potable can carry E. coli, Cryptosporidium, Giardia, and Legionella. Food from an unapproved or unknown source has bypassed USDA and FDA inspection entirely.
The shellfish traceability citation adds another layer. Shellfish, including oysters, clams, and mussels, are among the highest-risk foods served in any restaurant because they are frequently eaten raw or lightly cooked. Without proper identification tags and records, there is no way to trace a contaminated batch if customers fall ill.
The improper sewage and wastewater disposal citation appeared alongside all of this. Raw sewage in a food facility creates a direct fecal contamination pathway through surfaces, drains, and the hands of anyone who works in the space.
What These Violations Mean
The no-potable-water finding is not a paperwork problem. Every step of food preparation at a restaurant, from rinsing produce to cooking, from washing hands to sanitizing cutting boards, depends on water that has been verified safe. When that verification is absent, every one of those steps becomes a potential exposure point for pathogens including E. coli and Cryptosporidium.
The food-from-unapproved-sources violation matters most when something goes wrong. If a customer gets sick, health investigators trace the illness back through the supply chain to identify the contaminated batch and pull it from other locations. Food from an unknown or unapproved source has no chain of custody. There is nothing to trace.
The improper handwashing technique citation at Original Famous Philly's compounds the employee health policy failure. A health policy without enforcement means sick workers can show up and handle food. Improper technique means workers who do attempt to wash their hands may still be transferring Norovirus or Salmonella to the food they prepare.
Improperly cleaned multi-use utensils develop bacterial biofilms within 24 hours of inadequate cleaning. Those biofilms protect bacteria from standard sanitizers, meaning repeated use of the same utensil can repeatedly transfer pathogens to food even after a surface-level wash.
The Longer Record
Original Famous Philly's Inspection History
Original Famous Philly's has only two inspections on record, and both were serious. The January 30 visit produced six high-severity violations and three intermediate ones. The June 16 inspection produced seven high-severity violations and three intermediate ones.
In the roughly five months between those two inspections, the severity count did not drop. It went up.
The restaurant has accumulated 22 total violations across just two inspections, with 13 of those rated high-severity. It has never been emergency-closed.
There are no inspections on record showing a clean bill of health, no baseline of compliance to compare against, and no documented period in which the facility met standards without serious findings.
Open for Business
State inspectors have the authority to order an emergency closure when conditions pose an immediate threat to public health. The threshold includes things like no potable water supply and sewage disposal failures, both of which were documented at Original Famous Philly's on June 16.
The restaurant was not closed.
Customers who ate at the Port Orange location on or after June 16 did so while the facility remained under the same inspection record that documented an unknown water source, food with no traceable origin, improperly cleaned surfaces, and sewage handling that did not meet code.
As of the date of this inspection, Original Famous Philly's at 5251 S Nova Road was open.