SEATTLE — The "Keith Lee effect" has had a profoundly positive impact on many local restaurants around the country, but one Seattle sushi restaurant has seen quite the opposite impact over the past week.
Lee visited FOB Sushi Bar among other stops and the restaurant came under fire online since he posted about it. On Monday, FOB announced that it had closed its locations to conduct an investigation. The King County Department of Health also confirmed it had received and was looking into complaints related to the online video.
Lee, one of the internet's most famous food critics, recently made the trek to Seattle and tried a number of local restaurants, including a Chinatown restaurant that earned nearly perfect marks and a Pike Place Market apple cider stand.
During his visit, Lee also reviewed FOB Sushi Bar, which has locations in Seattle and Bellevue. Lee shared a video of his review, and close-ups of one of his pieces of sushi by other TikTok creators appeared to show some sort of movement as he was holding it.
The restaurant issued a statement in response, saying "the movement observed in the fish may result from natural elasticity or the pressure of chopsticks when applied to its structure. We want to assure our customers that this is not indicative of worms or any health concerns."
According the Washington State Department of Health, FOB Sushi Bar was inspected in January and had no health violations. It received a Satisfactory rating.
Lee put out a video on Sunday, saying he wanted to acknowledge FOB Sushi Bar's response video after seeing another TikTok from a man who claims his girlfriend was hospitalized after eating at the same restaurant.
"I don't believe in tearing down any business, but at the same time, people's health are on the line," Lee said. He also pushed back on the restaurant's explanation.
"For the restaurant to post a statement saying that me holding a sushi or holding the chopsticks in a certain way is why the sushi moved, I personally don't agree with it.
"Because I've had sushi a thousand times and held sushi a thousand different ways and never once have I seen sushi behaving that way again," Lee said.
FOB Sushi Bar posted a statement on its Instagram early Monday morning indicating that it was closing its locations in Seattle and Bellevue "until further notice."
"Your health and safety are our highest priorities. We are conducting a thorough investigation to address the situation and will take all necessary measures to prevent it from happening again.
"To our community, we are deeply grateful for your years of support and sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused. We remain dedicated to providing you with the highest quality sushi."
King County Public Health told KING 5 on Monday that it reviews every complaint it receives for validity.
"The Food Safety Program received complaints in response to the video circulating over the weekend about FOB Sushi Bar. Today, the area health inspector attempted to conduct an inspection, however the food establishment was closed. We will follow up with the restaurant regarding their adherence to the relevant food safety measures."
KING 5's Olivia Sullivan contributed to this report.
