CONOVER, NC (WBTV) – Inspectors from the Catawba County Health Department are still checking a local restaurant daily after 40 people claimed they became ill after eating there.
About 1,500 meals were served at the Harbor Inn Restaurant on the night in question, January 13, and officials are still not certain what caused the sickness.
Those who said they were ill complained of stomach pains, and diarrhea. No one was hospitalized and the symptoms were gone within a day or so, said Health department officials.
Since then, inspectors have checked everything from food temperature to hot water temperature, and how employees clean up each day.
"So far we have found no violations or anything that would suggest to us that the restaurant should be shut down," said Kelly Isenhour, Assistant Director at the Catawba County Health Department.
The restaurant has been inspected regularly and has consistently scored high marks, said officials. The current rating is 99.5 according to the paper hanging on the wall inside the restaurant.
"We've been in business here for 23 years," said owner George Ziogas,"and this is the first time there has ever been a problem."
Ziogas doesn't think it was anything his people did. Health officials say it is possible someone who was ill came into the restaurant and spread the sickness.
Isenhour said Tuesday that "there has been an uptick across the state in illnesses with the G.I. symptoms," but could not say if what happened in Conover is related to that. "We just don't know enough yet."
Every person who complained of sickness has been given a stool sample test kit to use and send off to the state lab for testing. Officials hope it will provide some answers into what happened.
In the meantime, Harbor Inn Restaurant will stay open. Customers there on Tuesday said they had no qualms about eating there. "Don't bother me," said Frances Yoder. "It coulda happened anywhere."
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