FOB Sushi reopens after a viral video forces its closure in Seattle, Bellevue

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SEATTLE — After weeks of being closed, FOB Sushi reopened its doors Tuesday.

FOB Sushi had closed its door weeks earlier after a video of the restaurant went viral.

Keith Lee, a TikTok food influencer, who dines his way through America’s downtowns made a stop at the sushi restaurant and posted a video that appeared to show a worm in the food he was showing.

In response, FOB Sushi closed its Seattle and Bellevue restaurants and said, “Regarding the video, the movement observed in the fish may result from natural elasticity or the pressure of chopsticks when applied to its structure. We want to assure our customers that this is not indicative of worms or any health concerns.”

On Monday, Dec. 2, FOB Sushi announced that doors to both of its restaurants would open on Tuesday, Dec. 3 at 11 a.m.

FOB Sushi wrote the following statement:

FOB Sushi is excited to announce the reopening of their Bellevue and Seattle locations on Tuesday, December 3rd at 11am. After a brief, voluntary closure, we have thoroughly reviewed our restaurant’s supply chain, food suppliers, food storage, and safety protocols, and confirmed that all ingredients are safe for consumption, in compliance and up to code, and we look forward to serving you delicious sushi once again.

Additionally, FOB Sushi in Seattle was visited by Public Health - Seattle and King County on Wednesday, November 27. Public Health found no food code violations. We provided all necessary paperwork related to parasite destruction in the fish we serve. We have been fully cooperative with Public Health’s investigation. Health investigators will return at an unannounced time and date after reopening for an additional inspection and we welcome them at any time. FOB Sushi in Seattle continues to have an “excellent” food safety rating from Public Health, the highest in the four-tiered food safety rating system.

FOB Sushi Bar remains fully cooperative with Public Health - Seattle & King County health inspectors. The decision to temporarily close was our own and not a requirement of Public Health, but we felt it necessary to evaluate and ensure there was no risk to our loyal patrons.

We hope to see you this week and beyond - thank you for your support and patronage. We are so grateful to the Seattle community for helping us navigate this time and are thankful for your continued support.

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