Milton restaurant closes for suspected norovirus outbreak after 3 diners report illness

UPDATE: The Milton Lodge in Milton was given the go-ahead to reopen.

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The Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department closed The Milton Lodge on Monday (Aug. 13) for a suspected norovirus outbreak. The restaurant will be closed for at least 24 hours so that staff members can clean the restaurant and discard food, which are typical practices for a suspected outbreak.

The restaurant at 7320 Pacific Hwy E. was closed at 2 p.m. after three diners from two separate households complained of illness to the health department.

The diners said they experienced norovirus-like symptoms 24-48 hours after they ate at the restaurant Aug. 7.

Shawna Bell, owner of the new restaurant that opened Aug. 4, said the restaurant is doing everything the health department asked it to do.

“We’re bleaching everything top to bottom,” she said. “We threw out every bit of food here, including salt, pepper, ketchup, everything.”

“Nobody on staff is sick, so we’re not sure where this came from,” said Bell, who anticipates reopening Tuesday (Aug. 14).

The health department will conduct an inspection Tuesday, per protocol, before the restaurant will be cleared to reopen.

Norovirus is an extremely contagious pathogen that can be difficult to eradicate and can live on surfaces for up to two weeks. It causes violent diarrhea and vomiting, with symptoms usually lasting one to two days. It is very easy to transmit because only a few particles of the virus can make someone ill. It can be spread through human-to-human contact after a contagious person doesn’t wash his or her hands properly. Additionally, food or surfaces contaminated by a person who is contagious with the illness can be a source.

Bell said the suspected outbreak at her restaurant confounds her.

“There are so many what-ifs. It is what it is. We’re doing exactly what the health department says we need to do,” said Bell.

This is the fourth suspected norovirus outbreak in Pierce County restaurants this year. First, there was a suspected outbreak at two El Toro restaurants in January, a suspected outbreak in April at Tacoma’s Foley’s on the Green and last week’s suspected outbreak at The Hub in Gig Harbor.

The health department asks that diners who ate at the Milton Lodge and became ill please contact the department at food@tpchd.org, report their illness online, or call (253) 798-4712.

This story was originally published August 13, 2018 at 4:50 PM.