Gastrointestinal illness outbreak associated with Stack 571 Burger and Whiskey Bar

Summary

Public Health investigated an outbreak of gastrointestinal illness (stomach illness) that was likely caused by a bacterial toxin in food eaten at Stack 571 Burger and Whiskey Bar in Kirkland.

This outbreak is over, and our investigation is complete.

Illnesses

On November 07, 2024, we learned of three people that became sick after eating at Stack 571 Burger and Whiskey Bar. All three had one or more signs consistent with a bacterial toxin, including feeling sick, vomiting, diarrhea, and stomach cramps.

We found that some workers had been sick recently, but no one was sick at the time we investigated. There were no signs that workers were the source of the customers' sickness.

Public Health actions

During our interviews with the sick people, the only thing they had in common was eating food at Stack 571 Burger and Whiskey Bar in Kirkland.

On November 8, 2024, we visited Stack 571 Burger and Whiskey Bar. We found some unsafe food practices, including an improperly stocked handwashing facility but nothing that could raise the risk of bacterial toxin growth. We also found some issues with their worker health policy. While the restaurant does not allow workers to work while sick, workers were not asked what symptoms they had when staying home sick.

We gave the restaurant resources and educated them on ways to fix these problems, including guidance for management to check with sick workers about their symptoms before they are allowed to come back to work. This is to lower the chance a worker returns to work with a sickness that could make other people sick or the food they make unsafe. We also went over safe cooling procedures for cooked foods, which helps prevent growth of bacterial toxins.

Laboratory testing

We do not have laboratory testing for the people who got sick. Bacterial toxin sickness often starts and ends soon after eating. By the time people see a doctor, if they do at all, it is usually too late to test.