SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — It's been almost three weeks since health officials linked a large salmonella outbreak to Aladdin Cafe in Clairemont. Now the owners of Aladdin Hillcrest say they're losing customers, even though they claim to have no connection to the other restaurant.
They have the same name. The sign out front even uses the same font, but the owner of Aladdin Hillcrest wants everyone to know:
"It's not affiliated at all, zero," said Camille Bsaibes. "No connection."
Bsaibes says his restaurant has nothing to do with Aladdin Cafe in Clairemont. That location is being connected to more than 100 probable and confirmed cases of salmonella poisoning. Thirteen people were hospitalized.
The Clairemont location posted a statement, saying health officials conducted multiple inspections and were unable to determine the source of the outbreak. That restaurant reopened last week.
"What was your reaction when you found out that a restaurant with the same name as yours was being linked to a salmonella outbreak?" ABC 10News asked.
"It was a sad story," Bsaibes said. "I was worried, you know. I never expected that something like that would happen."
Bsaibes says his sales dropped by nearly 50% after news of the outbreak spread. Customers called in every day to ask about it.
"Was it frustrating for your employees?" reporter Perla Shaheen asked.
"Yeah, when you have less business, they make less tips. And for the cooks, they have less prep, so they have to cut their hours. It's affecting everybody," Bsaibes says.
- PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Aladdin Mediterranean Café in Clairemont reopens after alleged salmonella outbreak
Bsaibes bought Aladdin Hillcrest from the owners of the Clairemont location 21 years ago. He says he kept the recognizable name, but changed almost everything else, including the menu.
"From then on, it was my own, I have nothing to share with them," Bsaibes said. "We are a separate entity."
He is hopeful his customers will realize this soon and return to the same business as usual.
