Locust Grove restaurant in E. coli outbreak allowed to reopen
BY NOLAN CLAY - Staff Writer
Published: November 20, 2008
LOCUST GROVE — A buffet-style restaurant blamed for an E. coli outbreak that left one customer dead and hundreds sick has been cleared to reopen, state Health Department officials announced today.
Country Cottage in Locust Grove, Oklahoma remains closed after the E. Coli outbreak has sickened over one hundred people. PHOTO BY GARY CROW/FOR THE OKLAHOMAN
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Owners of the Country Cottage restaurant were working to reopen this week, the owners’ attorney said.
Health officials said the restaurant owners have complied with a series of conditions including a “thorough cleaning and disinfection of all floors, walls, tables, coolers, food preparation surfaces and food-serving surfaces.”
The owners of the Country Cottage also were required to install three additional hand-washing sinks and disconnect from a private water well. All employees must complete a food handlers’ class and sick employees will not be allowed to work.
The popular restaurant has been closed since Aug. 25 after customers began suffering from severe diarrhea and other complications from food poisoning.
Health officials said today that they believe several different foods became contaminated with the rare E. coli 0111 bacteria. Restaurant customers were exposed to the bacteria from Aug. 15 to 24.
A total of 341 outbreak-related cases were reported. All were connected to the Country Cottage, health officials said. The victims included 56 children.
Health inspectors Nov. 12 checked 35 locations in the restaurant for bacteria but reported finding nothing wrong.
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