Melting Pot reopens after illnesses cause 24-hour closure

The Melting Pot restaurant reopened Saturday, one day after being shut down by the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department after several people reported getting sick after dining there.

“Everything checked out, so they’re OK to open,” Health department spokesman Steve Metcalf said. The health department inspected the restaurant and checked employee health.

The restaurant will be open to diners at 3 p.m. Saturday, said Laura Mulhern, a spokeswoman for the fondue restaurant chain.

The health department took action after receiving a call from a diner Friday morning and a notification from the restaurant food safety site iwaspoisoned.com.

The restaurant was fully cooperating with the health department during the closure and subsequent inspection at noon Saturday, Mulhern said.

“Our guests are our utmost concern,” Mulhern said.

Though the restaurant is cleaned every night, it was given an intensive cleaning overnight in accordance to health department specifications, Mulhern said.

The restaurant is also reevaluating its food safety protocols, which Mulhern said are already at a stringent level.

The source of the illness has not been determined, but diners who reported illnesses, including one who contacted The News Tribune on Saturday, all said they ate meat at the restaurant prior to getting sick.

Most of the reports peg Dec. 23 as the night they dined there.

“Seven days later it’s hard to pinpoint” the cause of the illnesses, Mulhern said.

Diners at The Melting Pot cook their own food in hot oil or broth.

“Whenever you’re dealing with raw meat — the guests do cook their own food — there are variables,” Mulhern said.

Mulhern said the restaurant had no violations during its most recent inspection in November.

This story was originally published December 31, 2016 at 1:44 PM with the headline "Melting Pot reopens after illnesses cause 24-hour closure."