Popular sushi restaurant reopens after food safety concerns from TikToker Keith Lee

SEATTLE — A popular sushi restaurant that temporarily shut the doors of its Seattle and Bellevue locations due to health and safety concerns reopened on Tuesday. FOB Sushi voluntarily closed both its sushi bars two weeks ago after a TikTok food influencer's post went viral.

On his post, users commented on the viral video, now with over 21 million views that something in the fish appeared to move before food reviewer Keith Lee ate it - causing some to speculate it was a worm in the raw seafood. Lee responded to the posts that he didn't see it, ate it, and did not get sick. Whether a worm or parasite was in the TikTok influencer's sushi has never been confirmed, but the health department inspected the Seattle location the day before Thanksgiving and found no code violations and said the restaurant maintains its 'Excellent" Food Safety Rating.

Tuesday morning saw a steady stream of customers showed up at FOB Sushi Bar in Seattle's Belltown neighborhood. The spot is popular for its buffet serving style and sushi pieces sold by the pound.

Both locations opened Tuesday at 11 a.m. Dan Lee was first in line to order sushi. He recently moved to Seattle and lives near the sushi bar. He told KOMO News that he came early because he didn't want to wait in line. The eatery has a loyal customer base, and during the lunch hour, it's not unusual for a line to form out the door and down the sidewalk.

"It's not deterring me from eating here, like I'm coming back, you know, I still like this place a lot," said Lee, "Like one person can have one experience, and then everyone will make that their truth or whatever it is, you know, but at the end of the day, you know, I feel like I haven't experienced that myself."

Vincent Chen co-owns FOB Sushi Bar with these three brothers. He said they immigrated from Indonesia in 2005 and opened their first restaurant in 2017. He said customers like their sushi, prices, and convenience. He also credits social media reviews with creating buzz before the so-called 'worm controversy.'

"This social media thing for small businesses like us benefits us a lot. We still believe in it," said Chen as a steady stream of customers returned to their Belltown location Tuesday. "I still believe social media can help a small business like us. Because we get this big because of social media."

The restaurant announced on Nov. 18 that it was closing its Seattle and Bellevue locations "until further notice" after the viral TikTok video.

"I was really frustrated with the whole social media thing. FOB doesn't deserve it," Jojo Hire said. "I have been eating here since before they blew up on the internet and they have always had excellent service and quality fish."

Lee visited FOB Sushi Bar recently as part of his food review journey in Seattle, giving positive marks to the restaurant. However, commenters pointed out in a video that something that appeared to be a “worm” moved in the piece of sushi he put in his mouth.

"After a brief, voluntary closure, we have thoroughly reviewed our restaurant’s supply chain, food suppliers, food storage, and safety protocols, and confirmed that all ingredients are safe for consumption, in compliance, and up to code, and we look forward to serving you delicious sushi once again," FOB Sushi Bar wrote.

The statement continued to note the Seattle location was visited by Public Health - Seattle and King County on Nov. 27, and they found no food code violations. The restaurant continued to note that they provided "all necessary paperwork related to parasite destruction in the fish we serve" and have been fully cooperative with Public Health's investigation.

"Health investigators will return at an unannounced time and date after reopening for an additional inspection and we welcome them at any time," FOB Sushi Bar wrote. "FOB Sushi in Seattle continues to have an “excellent” food safety rating from Public Health, the highest in the four-tiered food safety rating system."

Lastly, the restaurant said it will remain fully cooperative with Public Health - Seattle and King County health inspectors, and their decision to temporarily close was their own and not a requirement of Public Health.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE | Sushi restaurant closes indefinitely after food safety concerns from TikToker Keith Lee

"We hope to see you this week and beyond - thank you for your support and patronage," wrote the restaurant to end their statement. "We are so grateful to the Seattle community for helping us navigate this time and are thankful for your continued support."

KOMO News contacted Public Health - Seattle and King County Monday regarding the restaurant's scheduled reopening, and they responded with the following statement:

"Public Health investigators conducted a site visit to FOB Sushi’s Seattle location on Wednesday, 11/27, in response to the complaints Public Health received from the public in response to the video that was circulating about the restaurant. Our health investigators found no food code violations. The restaurant provided all necessary paperwork related to parasite destruction in their fish. Ownership was fully cooperative with our investigation.

"The health inspectors were not able to complete a full routine inspection because the restaurant is closed and not serving food, but investigators will return at an unannounced time and date after reopening for an additional inspection. FOB Sushi’s Seattle location continues to have an “excellent” food safety rating from Public Health, the highest in the four-tiered food safety rating system."

Lee, who has over 16.7 million TikTok followers and 2.3 million more on Instagram, is a popular food critic known for giving huge popularity boosts to the restaurants he reviews.

In a TikTok video, Lee posted on Nov. 9, which had nearly 20 million views as of Nov. 19, something appears to move on the piece of sushi he eats. Commenters pointed out that at the one-minute and 51-second mark, what appears like a "worm" moves before Lee places the sushi in his mouth.

"I saw the video. It is a little grainy, hard to tell what is happening, but it is a little suspicious," one customer told KOMO News. "I am sure there are plenty of food risks we miss all the time. I think it is unfortunate this had such an impact on the business."

"Somebody slowed the video down and it did appear that something moved," Lee said in a follow-up video posted on Nov. 17. "1,000% transparency, I didn't see anything until somebody pointed it out. I can't confirm or deny what it was, but I can confirm I am OK."

The health department issued FOB Sushi Bar a score of zero—a perfect score—on Jan. 30. A score of zero represents no violations; scores over 35 could result in another inspection, and scores above 90 may result in the board shutting down a restaurant until the issues are solved.

In FOB Sushi Bar's original response to Lee's video and comments from the community, the restaurant defended itself and claimed the accusations of worms found in the restaurant's sashimi were "entirely false."

When reporting on the restaurant's initial closure, KOMO News contacted FOB Sushi and visited the business, but it did not receive a response.

On Tuesday, Chen said it was important to voluntarily close the sushi bars to launch a thorough internal review of its food safety systems, protocols, and supply chains as well as invite the Seattle King County Public Health to inspect and confirm the food is safe.

The family business estimates it lost about $100,000 in lost revenue due to the two closures at its two locations. "We can survive. From COVID, then we believe we can still get stronger from this," Chen said.