Food Critic Keith Lees Video Leads To Closure Of Popular Sushi Bar In US
Food critic Keith Lee went for a food review at the famous sushi restaurant chain ‘Fob Sushi Bar’ in Seattle. He posted a video of his review on TikTok on November 10. While Lee did not criticise the restaurant and seemed to have a decent experience, things took a turn after his followers saw his video of eating sashimi. According to Daily Mail, several viewers reported that they saw something moving in the sashimi and believed it to be a “worm”. The viewers criticised the restaurant and raised safety concerns.
In a follow-up video, Lee addressed the issue saying it “did appear that something moved” on the sashimi. He added that he couldn’t “confirm or deny” whether it was a worm. He shared that he has not experienced any suspicious side effects or illness, but claims that one person alleged that they were hospitalized the next day after eating at the same chain.
After receiving backlash, the restaurant denied the reports of any “worm” in the food, calling it a rumour. Taking to its official Instagram handle, the restaurant said that the movement in the video is due to the fish’s natural elasticity.
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The restaurant said, “We’re so grateful for your support and @keith_lee125’s recent visit! We want to directly address a false statement about our sashimi. At FOB Sushi, we follow strict FDA and HACCP standards to ensure the highest quality and safety in every dish. The movement in the video is due to natural elasticity in the fish-not worms. Rumours like this can harm small businesses, so we’re addressing it head-on. Thank you for trusting us and supporting FOB Sushi.”
However, on November 18, 10 days after the incident, the sushi bar shared that they are now shutting down two of their outlets “until further notice” and are investigating the situation.
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The statement read, “Dear valued customers, in response to recent food safety concerns, we have decided to close our FOB Sushi locations in Seattle and Bellevue until further notice. Your health and safety are our highest priorities. We are conducting a thorough investigation to address the situation and will take all necessary measures to prevent it from happening again. To our community, we are deeply grateful for your years of support and sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused. We remain dedicated to providing you with the highest quality sushi.”
It is still not clear whether the sashimi served to the food critic had a worm in it or not.
