By Olivia Wynkoop
(SAN FRANCISCO) The city's iconic House of Prime Rib has been booked for months in advance since its reopening in October. Now, it's shutting down for 24 hours to hopefully get to the bottom of the alleged food poisoning cases it has received since April.
The beloved old-school restaurant has had two visits from the San Francisco Department of Public Health in the past two months, with no findings for the cause of foodborne illness.
Owner Joe Betz told Eater SF that the reported cases haven't included vomiting, which is a telltale sign of foodborne illness. The reported sicknesses might stem from people's digestive systems not being used to rich red meat after a year of homecooked foods.
“Yesterday, the department came in before and during service and I was told there’s nothing wrong with what we do, we do everything right,” Betz said. “They believe there’s a possibility, that when people haven’t gone out for a long time and start eating heavy food, that that’s how they can get diarrhea.”
A quick yelp search shows how torn many customers are about leaving a poor review. Some have been customers for upwards of 15 years and began defending the restaurant despite getting sick.
Though he initially promised refunds for anyone who said they got sick, Betz said that's no longer the case as the incident became widespread and a flood of allegations are following in suit.
“We are not refunding anymore until we figure out exactly what’s going on,” he told the San Francisco Chronicle.
The health department says it plans to keep investigating the situation.
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