Three people, including two children, are sick with E. coil O157:H7 infections after eating at the Red Robin restaurant at 799 West 146th Avenue in Westminster, Colorado, according to the Tri-County Health Department. Public health officials inspected the restaurant on July 9, 2019, after being informed about the outbreak by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. Two of the three people infected were hospitalized because they were so ill.
The inspection revealed several food safety violations. Red Robin voluntarily closed the restaurant on July 10, 2019 for cleaning and sanitizing. They also required food safety training for all employees, and they tested employees who handle food.
Critical violations included improper employee hand washing, improper cleaning and sanitizing of food preparation surfaces, and cross-contamination between raw meats and other prepared foods. The Tri-County Health Department is going to conduct food safety training and make sure that all of the violations are corrected before the restaurant reopens.
Ashley Rihter, Communicable Disease Epidemiology Manager at Tri-County Health Department said in a statement, “We have not yet determined the source of the E. coli O157:H7. E. coli can be found in raw or undercooked meats, contaminated fruits and vegetables, unpasteurized milk or juice, and in the stool of people who are infected.”
You can contact food safety attorney Fred Pritzker for help by calling 1-888-377-8900.
Tri-County Health Department and the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment are actively investigating this outbreak. Officials are asking that anyone who ate at this specific Red Robin Restaurant since June 1, 2019, and has been experiencing symptoms of an E. coli infection contact their doctor. These symptoms can include a mild fever, vomiting, severe and painful abdominal cramps, and diarrhea that is usually bloody and/or watery.
This infection can develop into a complication called hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), which is a form of kidney failure. This complication usually occurs in children under the age of five. Symptoms of HUS include little urine output, lethargy, pale skin, and easy bruising. Anyone with these symptoms needs to see a doctor as soon as possible because HUS can be life-threatening. The press release from Tri-County Health Department did not state whether anyone sickened in this outbreak has developed HUS.
