TAMPA, FL. World of Beer at 5311 Avion Park Drive drew the highest concentration of serious violations in Tampa during the week of September 11, with inspectors citing the restaurant for seven high-severity failures in a single visit, including food sourced from unapproved or unknown suppliers, toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled near food, and food not cooked to required minimum temperatures.
Fourteen other Tampa restaurants accumulated high-severity violations during the same seven-day stretch, bringing the total number of flagged facilities to 15 across Hillsborough County.
The Violations
At World of Beer, inspectors also documented the absence of any employee health policy, an employee not reporting symptoms of illness, food contact surfaces not properly cleaned or sanitized, and no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods. An improper sewage or wastewater disposal violation rounded out the intermediate findings.
Checkers on East Fletcher Avenue drew six high-severity citations, including no person in charge present or performing duties, no employee health policy, and inadequate shell stock identification records. Inspectors also found that time was not being used properly as a public health control, a violation that allows food to sit in the bacterial growth zone without adequate documentation or safeguards.
Dead Bob's Too at 3681 South Westshore Boulevard was cited for six high-severity violations, among them improper hand and arm washing technique, toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled, and time as a public health control not properly used.
Pabellon Restaurant and Bar on West Waters Avenue accumulated six high-severity violations with no intermediate findings at all, a profile that suggests the most serious infractions were concentrated rather than spread across categories. Inspectors noted no person in charge, no employee health policy, employees not reporting illness symptoms, and improper handwashing technique, all at a facility serving food to the public.
Jazzy's BBQ at 5703 West Waters Avenue was cited for five high-severity violations including no person in charge, no employee health policy, improper handwashing technique, and unsanitized food contact surfaces.
Tampeno Fish and Meat Market on West Tampa Bay Boulevard drew five high-severity violations including food from unapproved or unknown sources and no allergen awareness demonstrated, a combination that creates layered risk for customers who may have no way of knowing what they are actually eating or where it came from.
Copper Indian Restaurant on Countryway Boulevard was cited for inadequate handwashing facilities alongside improper handwashing technique, meaning inspectors found both the infrastructure and the practice failing simultaneously.
Across the Rest of the Week
Nana Middle Eastern Street Food on North Franklin Street drew four high-severity violations including no person in charge, no employee health policy, improper handwashing technique, and inadequate shell stock identification records, plus three intermediate violations for improperly cleaned utensils, reused single-use items, and improper wiping cloth use.
Big John's Alabama Bar-B-Que on North 40th Street was cited for four high-severity violations including employees not reporting illness symptoms and food contact surfaces not properly cleaned or sanitized. Inspectors also flagged inadequate cooling and cold holding equipment, a finding that means the facility may lack the physical capacity to keep food out of the bacterial growth zone.
Outback Steakhouse on Sheldon Road drew a notable combination: parasite destruction procedures not followed, toxic substances improperly identified or stored, and no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked items. That pairing of parasite risk and absent consumer warning means diners had no way of knowing they may have been eating fish or meat that had not been frozen to kill parasites.
Marche C at Tampa International Airport's George J. Bean Parkway was cited for four high-severity violations including employee illness not reported, inadequate shell stock records, and parasite destruction procedures not followed, violations occurring at a concession that serves travelers who may not return to Florida if they become ill.
Sal Rosa on North Florida Avenue drew four high-severity violations centered on handwashing: inadequate handwashing facilities, improper handwashing technique, and an employee not reporting illness symptoms, all alongside a person in charge not present.
Blasy's Pizzeria on West Hillsborough Avenue was cited for four high-severity violations including no person in charge and inadequate shell stock identification, a notable finding for a pizza restaurant.
Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center at 1010 North W.C. MacInnes Place drew four high-severity violations including food not cooked to required minimum temperatures and inadequate shell stock identification records, findings at a venue that serves large audiences at ticketed events.
Ana Coffee Shop Corp on East 20th Avenue drew three high-severity violations including no employee health policy and improper handwashing technique.
What These Violations Mean
The most common high-severity violation across this week's 15 facilities was the absence of a written employee health policy, cited at World of Beer, Checkers, Dead Bob's Too, Pabellon, Jazzy's BBQ, Nana Middle Eastern Street Food, and Ana Coffee Shop. Without that policy, there is no formal mechanism requiring a sick worker to stay home. Norovirus spreads through a single infected food handler and can sicken dozens of customers before anyone connects the illness to a meal.
The companion violation, employees not reporting symptoms, appeared at World of Beer, Pabellon, Tampeno Fish and Meat Market, Big John's Alabama Bar-B-Que, Sal Rosa, Marche C, and the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center. That is not a paperwork problem. It is a direct transmission pathway from a sick worker's hands to a customer's plate, and it appeared at seven separate facilities in a single week.
Food from unapproved or unknown sources, cited at World of Beer and Tampeno Fish and Meat Market, removes the traceability chain entirely. If a customer gets sick, investigators cannot identify the supplier, the lot, or other affected restaurants. That is why state and federal food codes require licensed, inspectable sources for everything served to the public.
The parasite destruction failures at Outback Steakhouse and Marche C represent a different category of risk. Certain fish must be frozen to specific temperatures for specific durations before being served raw or undercooked, specifically to kill parasites like Anisakis. Skipping that step and then omitting the consumer advisory, as both facilities did, means customers who ordered a rare preparation had no warning they were eating fish that had not been treated.
The Longer Record
Several of this week's most heavily cited facilities are not new to state inspectors. Jazzy's BBQ has 31 prior inspections on record, as does Outback Steakhouse on Sheldon Road. Both drew high-severity violations this week. Checkers on Fletcher Avenue has 30 prior inspections, and Ana Coffee Shop Corp has 30 as well.
Big John's Alabama Bar-B-Que has 28 prior inspections on record. Pabellon Restaurant and Bar has 29. Sal Rosa has 26. The accumulation of prior visits at these facilities means inspectors have returned repeatedly, and the high-severity violations documented this week are not first-time findings at unfamiliar locations.
The newer facilities present a different concern. Blasy's Pizzeria on West Hillsborough Avenue has only 2 prior inspections on record and already drew four high-severity violations, including no person in charge and inadequate shell stock identification. Copper Indian Restaurant on Countryway Boulevard has 5 prior inspections and drew 5 high-severity violations this week, including both inadequate handwashing infrastructure and improper technique.
Tampeno Fish and Meat Market has 6 prior inspections and drew 5 high-severity violations including food from unapproved sources and no allergen awareness. That facility is relatively new to the inspection record, and it is already accumulating the kind of sourcing and safety failures that are the hardest to correct without a fundamental change in how the operation is run. Whether that change occurs before a follow-up visit is a question the record cannot yet answer.
