Kumo Japanese Steakhouse announces closure following foodborne illness incident
The Stony Brook restaurant was cited for 15 violations after 28 customers got sick from eating improperly stored cooked rice on Sept. 9.
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The Stony Brook Japanese restaurant at the center of a foodborne illness investigation announced Saturday that it is closing.
Suffolk County officials said Kumo Japanese Steakhouse was cited for 15 violations after 28 customers got sick from eating improperly stored cooked rice on Sept. 9.
At least 13 people where taken to the hospital.
The eatery said in part in a statement, "The entire team at Kumo expresses our deepest regret and we apologize to those impacted by the recent situation at our restaurant. We understand the seriousness of the matter and we continue to cooperate with all parties to fully understand the cause."
The statement went on to say, "several unrelated restaurants with the similar Kumo name as ours have been negatively impacted by news reports. We wish to reiterate that there are no business connections between these operations and ours."
Employees and management at Kumo Sushi Hibachi and Lounge in Bay Shore claim customers stopped coming. They say customers also stopped coming to their affiliated restaurant in Plainview after hearing about the Stony Brook eatery that had a similar name, although there is no connection.
Cami Toh, of Kumo Sushi Hibachi and Lounge in Bay Shore, said business went down by 40% this past week. She reiterated that the Bay Shore eatery is not connected to the restaurant in Stony Brook.
Kumo Japanese Steakhouse's last day of business will be Sunday, Sept. 24.
RELATED: Lawsuit filed against Kumo Japanese Steakhouse in Stony Brook over foodborne illness
The restaurant added that it would refund any gift card balances immediately. They requested customers reach out via email to kumojapanese@gmail.com with their gift card number, adding that they will respond within 48 hours.
