SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — Aladdin Mediterranean Café in Clairemont reopened on Monday. During a usually busy lunch hour, the parking lot was nearly empty.
The popular spot was closed for almost two weeks due to a reported salmonella outbreak.
"I did not know about the salmonella outbreak," said Steve, a customer who came the day after the cafe opened. "When was this exactly?"
"They just reopened last night," our reporter responded.
"Okay, got it, interesting," Steve replied.
"Are you nervous about that?" our reporter asked.
"If they had one, then they're probably extra cautious and clean right now," Steve said.
The county says there are now 89 people who reportedly got sick after eating at the Mediterranean restaurant from April 25 to May 1. Ten were hospitalized. A representative tells me those are pretty large numbers compared to previous outbreaks in the county.
"The outbreak has actually exploded; there are now many more victims," said attorney Ron Simon.
Simon is representing more than 50 people who allegedly tested positive for salmonella after eating at the restaurant. He says they had symptoms of nausea, vomiting, fever and diarrhea.
"It comes from one of two sources: human or animal feces," Simon said. "If you've got salmonella poisoning, you've eaten food with feces in it, as gross as that sounds."
The café posted a statement to Instagram on Monday saying it has always maintained an A grade from the health department. The post says that health officials completed multiple inspections at the restaurant after the alleged outbreak and were unable to determine its source. The department gave Aladdin approval to reopen.
