Operations

Seattle sushi restaurant reopens after Keith Lee 'worm' incident

FOB Sushi Bar's two units were closed for about two weeks after fans of the social media restaurant reviewer saw something move in his sashimi. But food safety officials have given the all clear.
Officials with the by-the-pound sushi concept said the restaurant has an excellent health safety rating. | Photo: Shutterstock.

A Seattle-area by-the-pound sushi concept reopened Tuesday with a clean bill of health after fans of TikTok restaurant critic Keith Lee believed they saw a worm pop out of his sashimi.

FOB Sushi Bar voluntarily closed about two weeks ago after the TikTok review by Lee went viral. A hugely popular reviewer with more than 17 million TikTok followers, Lee had initially praised the restaurant, but at the time did not see what appeared to be a worm—or something moving—in a piece of fish before he took a bite while recording his post.

Two units of the sushi concept closed temporarily to conduct an investigation.

On Monday, the company posted on Instagram that it would reopen this week, saying, “We can ensure our guests that all ingredients, food preparation, food safety, and storage remain in compliance with food safety protocols and practices.”

The company said public health officials with Seattle and King County visited the Seattle location and confirmed there were no food code violations, noting the restaurant has an “excellent” rating.

“We will continue to closely follow food safety regulations and guidance,” the company said. “we want the public to be assured that FOB Sushi is committed to our guests’ health and safety at all times.”

 

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