TAMPA, FL. Inspectors visiting Zen Pho & Noodles on West Waters Avenue on June 15 found that some of the food being served to customers had come from an unapproved or unknown source, a violation that means there is no way to trace where that food came from or whether it passed any federal safety inspection.
That was one of seven high-severity violations documented that afternoon. The restaurant was not closed.
What Inspectors Found
The inspection records show no person in charge was present or performing duties when the inspector arrived. That single condition, according to CDC data cited in the inspection report, correlates with three times more critical violations in a food service facility.
Inspectors also found that the restaurant had no written employee health policy and that at least one employee had not reported symptoms of illness. Those two violations exist on a continuum: without a policy, workers have no formal obligation to disclose that they are sick, and without reporting, a symptomatic employee can handle food for an entire shift.
The handwashing violation compounds that risk. Inspectors documented improper technique, meaning that even when employees washed their hands, the process was not sufficient to remove pathogens.
Food contact surfaces were not properly cleaned or sanitized. Inspectors also cited improper storage or use of toxic substances, a violation that signals chemical contamination risk in the food preparation area.
On the intermediate side, inspectors documented improper sewage or wastewater disposal, multi-use utensils that had not been properly cleaned, single-use items being reused, improper use of wiping cloths, inadequate toilet facilities, and equipment in poor repair. That is six intermediate violations alongside the seven high-severity ones, for a total of thirteen citations in a single visit.
What These Violations Mean
The food-from-unapproved-sources violation is the one that most directly removes any safety net for customers. Food that moves through licensed suppliers is subject to USDA and FDA inspections at multiple points. Food from an unknown or unapproved source has no such chain of documentation. If a customer became sick after eating at this restaurant, investigators would have no supply records to trace.
The cluster of illness-related violations, no health policy, no symptom reporting, and improper handwashing technique, represents a compounding failure. Norovirus, the most common cause of foodborne illness outbreaks in restaurant settings, spreads primarily through infected food handlers. A facility without a health policy cannot compel a sick worker to stay home. A worker who does not report symptoms may not know they are required to. And if that worker's handwashing technique is also flagged as improper, the chain from infected employee to customer food is nearly unbroken.
Improperly cleaned food contact surfaces add a second contamination pathway. Cutting boards, prep surfaces, and countertops that are not fully sanitized between uses transfer bacteria from raw proteins to ready-to-eat foods. In a pho and noodle kitchen, where raw meat is central to the menu, that transfer risk is direct.
The improper sewage disposal citation is not a paperwork violation. Raw sewage contains fecal bacteria including E. coli and Salmonella. When wastewater is not disposed of correctly, those bacteria can reach food preparation surfaces.
The Longer Record
The June 15 inspection was the eighth on record for this location. Across those eight visits, inspectors have documented 63 total violations. The restaurant has never been emergency-closed.
The pattern in the prior records is consistent. Inspectors found five high-severity violations in January 2026, five in July 2025, six in December 2024, and three in April 2025. The two inspections between January and June 2026, conducted in March and April, each showed only one high-severity violation, suggesting a brief period of improvement before this month's inspection reversed course sharply.
The December 2024 inspection, which produced six high-severity violations, is the closest historical parallel to what inspectors found this month. That visit did not result in a closure either.
Eight inspections over roughly two years, with high-severity violations documented in seven of them, and a total violation count of 63, describe a facility that has been repeatedly flagged and has remained in operation throughout.
The Longer Record in Context
No inspection in the facility's history has resulted in an emergency closure. The June 15 visit, with the highest single-inspection violation count on record for this location, did not change that.
Zen Pho & Noodles on West Waters Avenue was open for business the day inspectors found food from an unknown source, no illness policy, an employee not reporting symptoms, and improper handwashing technique in the same kitchen.
It remained open after they left.