A restaurant in a suburb of Rochester, NY, that was closed by health officials the day after Thanksgiving because of reports of illnesses is now thought to have sickened more than 260 people on the holiday.
Golden Ponds Restaurant in the Rochester suburb of Greece, NY, is believed to have served 800 to 1,100 meals on Thanksgiving Day, Monroe County Health Department spokesman John Ricci told the Democrat & Chronicle newspaper.
The specific cause remains unknown as health officials wait for test results from victims’ stool samples sent to the New York State Department of Health lab.
Samples of food from the restaurant were also sent to the state lab in Albany, but as of Tuesday the county health department had not posted any results.
However, the illness onset times, symptoms and fact that all victims ate at the restaurant on Thanksgiving make it clear that “something went wrong in one or more of the processes” at Golden Ponds, Ricci told the Democrat & Chronicle. They all reported severe diarrhea.
“Here we are three weeks in and we don’t really have the smoking gun yet. … “The vast, vast majority (of victims), without prompting, report nearly identical symptoms.”
Although only 80 people have filed reports with the county, the total number of sick people topped 260 because of multiple family members being stricken with the illness after dining together at the Golden Ponds location.
Health department inspectors visited Golden Ponds on Nov. 25. They inspected the facility, interviewed the staff, reviewed records and collected samples of leftover food. The department then ordered that the rest of the leftover food be destroyed.
The Golden Ponds had 18 non-critical violations during a Nov. 1 inspection.
The restaurant has declined to comment.
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