King County Public Health is investigating an outbreak of Shiga toxin-producing E. coli O157 (STEC) associated with food from Tokyo Stop Teriyaki restaurant. The County is aware of five King County residents who developed the same STEC type using WGS after eating food from Tokyo Stop Teriyaki in Bellevue. These five people likely became sick from contaminated food served at Tokyo Stop Teriyaki. On December 12, 2025, the County asked the restaurant to close. They visited the restaurant on December 13 and identified several issues that could have contributed to this outbreak: sinks for washing raw meat and vegetables were placed too close together; tools and surfaces used for raw meat, such as chicken, weren’t properly sanitized. The County worked with the restaurant to improve its food safety practices and to conduct a complete cleaning and disinfection. When they returned on December 15, they confirmed that the cleaning was done correctly and that they were following required food safety procedures. Based on this, the restaurant was allowed to reopen. All six people who became ill tested positive for the same STEC type (O157). @ https://kingcounty.gov/en/dept/dph/health-safety/disease-illness/foodborne-illness-outbreaks/2025-outbreaks/2025-11-24-tokyo-stop-teriyaki
