Why is Kumo Japanese restaurant closing? Food borne illness lawsuit controversy explained 

Kumo, a Sushi and Japanese restaurant in Stony Brook, New York, found itself in deep waters after 28 people got sick on September 9, 2023, due to the improperly stored cooked rice at their restaurant. The restaurant has been accused of foodborne illness and has been cited for 15 violations.

As the incident occurred two weeks back, the employees claimed that the customers had stopped coming to the restaurant due to the controversy. The eatery also released a statement and stated:

"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."

They also mentioned how other restaurants with the same name, Kumo, have been experiencing a loss in business as many have been assuming that it is the same eatery. The restaurant stated:

"We wish to reiterate that there are no business connections between these operations and ours."

Due to the controversy and multiple complaints, Kumo Sushi & Steakhouse announced they would shut down. Sunday, September 24, 2023, was their last day in the business.

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Three lawsuits filed against Kumo in New York as 28 people fell sick due to improperly stored rice

As the news about 28 people falling sick due to the restaurant's improperly stored food went viral, three people filed lawsuits against the eatery, claiming that they fell severely sick due to the bad food. Patch reported that a food safety attorney, Jory Lange, would represent the complainants who have filed the lawsuits.

Many customers also claimed that the bad food "Wasn't just a one-day thing," as many people experienced vomiting and diarrhea on multiple days, such as September 6, 2023. Another complainant claimed they got sick on September 7. The maximum number of people suffered due to the food on September 9, 2023.

Lange, the food safety attorney, mentioned how the restaurant did not attempt to "fix their food," even after multiple complaints were made to the manager.

“The plaintiffs hope to get to the bottom of what went wrong at Kumo to cause so many people to get food poisoning, and I also hope to get fair compensation for our clients,” Lange said.

Many were also concerned about their gift cards with the restaurant as the eatery had announced an abrupt closing down. However, the management ensured that people got their gift cards refunded, saying the customers could claim their balances by making requests. The eatery stated that it would take less than 48 hours to make the refunds.

At the moment, the eatery has not responded to the lawsuits. However, they stated that they have an internal investigation going on to come to a conclusion about what exactly happened at the eatery. Meanwhile, social media is flooded with comments and posts against the eatery, as many slammed Kumo for their negligence.