Wahaca diners tell of 'severe' vomit bug

Shut: Five London branches, including this one at Covent Garden, have been closed
ITV News
Jamie Bullen3 November 2016

Diners have told how they were left bed ridden with a vomiting bug after eating meals at Wahaca restaurants amid a suspected norovirus outbreak.

Customers revealed how they were struck down by illness including vomiting and diarrhoea after dining at branches across the capital.

Some said their symptoms were so severe they were physically unable to move as they were forced to take time off work and spend days in bed.

It comes as nine branches, including five London outlets, have been closed temporarily as Public Health England investigates why more than 200 workers and 160 customers fell ill at the restaurants in the past week.

Lethargic: Darren Burn said he was sick after eating at Wahaca Brixton
Darren Burn

Restaurants in Oxford Circus, Soho, Canary Wharf and Westfield Shepherd’s Bush, are also shut due to what are described as “unforeseen circumstances".

Some who dined in large parties said they suspected the virus was brought on by chicken dishes as those who refrained from eating the meat escaped sickness.

Marketing executive Elizabeth Cartwright, 23, dined at the St Paul’s restaurant on Thursday with four other people but felt unwell when she woke up on Saturday.

She told the Standard: “It was pretty distressing.

Deserted: the Wahaca in Soho, which was closed due to an outbreak of a vomiting bug
@desibakerboy

“My symptoms included the usual sickness and diarrhoea but the worst was the fever I had which left me completely bed bound. I was worried I would faint if I got out.

“The strange thing was there was five of us who shared food but only two of us were sick. We suspected it was the chicken as we were the only two to have it but there is no way of knowing.

“I thought something wasn’t right and followed the situation on Twitter but I had no idea this affected people nationwide. It makes me think it is more serious than an outbreak.”

Claire Tucker, 24, from Birmingham visited the chain’s branch in Brixton for a friend’s birthday on Saturday when she felt unwell at work on Monday.

Suspected outbreak: The restaurant said it believed there had been an outbreak of Norovirus
Charles D. Humphrey/Centers for Disease Control and Prevention/PA Wire

She said: “I had a bit of a stomach ache - nothing much - but within a few hours of getting home it turned into severe stomach cramps, diarrhoea and vomiting.

“I was absolutely freezing cold and aching all over, I couldn't eat and couldn't move from bed.

“I had absolutely no energy to do anything, even send an email to work to tell them I wouldn't be able to come in.

“Luckily after about 24 hours the symptoms slowly started to improve and this morning I'm 99% better. Couldn't figure out where I had got it from until hearing the news.”

Communications worker Ellie Beadel, 25, said 10 friends felt unwell after 30 diners attended a surprise birthday for her boyfriend on Friday at Wahaca's Soho restaurant.

She said her boyfriend and others who ate chicken enchiladas were among those who felt sick while she didn't suffer at all.

She said: “We had a really fun evening but my boyfriend fell ill on Saturday and was very weak. He couldn’t get out of bed.

“I wasn’t ill myself but I’ve had norovirus and I’m not sure this was it. I thought it was food poisoning.

"It's a shame because everyone loves Wahaca but I'm not sure they will come back from this."

One man, who said he ate at the Soho branch on Saturday with his wife and two friends, told the Standard he initially planned to eat at Covent Garden but was informed the restaurant had been temporarily closed.

He said he and his wife spent the following evening “wrapped around the toilet” after both suffered a severe bout of vomiting and diarrhoea which prompted a complaint to the chain.

Soho: Diners fell ill after eating at the Soho branch

He told the Standard: “It's a shame we didn't know at the time that those circumstances were something more sinister.

“We decided to head to the Soho location as the website showed it was open and we all still felt like eating at Wahaca still.

“My wife and I had to stay off work for two days to recover. We still haven't heard back from Wahaca and as it stands we've paid £85 for the privilege of getting norovirus."

And Darren Burn, 30, founder of LGBT travel company OutOfOffice.com, said he fell unwell after eating at the Brixton branch on Sunday evening.

He added: "I was throwing up then had about 24 hours of not being able to get out of bed and feeling generally lethargic."

A Wahaca spokeswoman said: “We can confirm a number of our employees and customers have reported becoming ill over the past week.

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“Initial tests suggest that the cause of this illness was norovirus. Following these reports, Wahaca voluntarily closed nine sites.

“After specialist deep cleaning of all sites, whether affected or not, and with the co-operation of relevant authorities we have reopened five of those sites and continue to monitor the issue closely in order to ensure it is contained and resolved.”

“As ever our main priority is to ensure that all of our customers and our valued team members are safe and healthy.”

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