Eagan man sues West St. Paul buffet after salmonella outbreaks

An Eagan man has sued a West St. Paul restaurant that was investigated four times for salmonella outbreaks and health code violations, alleging he became sick with salmonella after dining there in 2021.

The Great Moon Buffet on Robert Street — which was investigated by the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) between 2018 and 2022 — was listed as the defendant in the lawsuit filed Wednesday in Dakota County District Court.

Plaintiff Joseph Ramos reported feeling sick four days after eating beef, sushi, clams, broccoli and Jell-O at the buffet on Nov. 17, 2021, according to the complaint. Ramos went to a hospital, and laboratory testing found his salmonella was closely related to that in previous outbreaks at the restaurant, according to the suit.

Raymond Trueblood-Konz, one of Ramos' lawyers, said that his client hopes that the suit leads to the restaurant fixing its sanitation issues for good and that it helps future customers avoid illness.

"We've seen some very egregious examples of unsanitary conditions, but this is about as bad as it gets," said Trueblood-Konz, whose firm, Pritzker Hageman, has handled foodborne illness cases in the past.

MDH identified six people who became ill with salmonella during the restaurant's November 2021 outbreak, according to the report. Follow-up inspections found a dead rodent and rodent droppings in a water heater closet near the food prep area, a live cockroach in the buffet area, incorrect food storage temperatures and employees using a bucket of water and reused towel to wash and dry their hands, among other violations.

The restaurant provided a short statement Friday, saying, that it was aware of the suit and that it denies all allegations.

"We're not inclined to comment on it, except to say that we disagree with the allegations that are being made and will be defending [against] the lawsuit in court," the statement read.

Restaurant manager Zoe Lin declined to comment further.

November 2021 was the fourth salmonella outbreak associated with the restaurant since 2018, according to the MDH report. There also was an outbreak in summer 2021.

Possible cross-contamination sources noted by inspectors included splatter from raw chicken in a mixer device going onto nearby bags of flour and peppers, raw eggs stored at room temperature next to uncovered lettuce, a blocked-off hand-washing station and grease and grime dripping from equipment that had fresh pasta stored below it.

When state inspectors returned for an assessment in December 2021, officials observed that many of the issues "were even worse than on previous inspections," according to the suit.

After the November 2021 outbreak, the restaurant was closed temporarily so fixes could be made, such as replacing the walk-in coolers and installing a new floor, and it reopened Jan. 10, 2022, according to the MDH report.

The restaurant told inspectors that a Spanish-speaking employee planned to attend a food protection manager course and train other Spanish-speaking employees and that they would host a food safety course for Mandarin speakers, the report states.

However, a follow-up inspection three days later identified several outstanding violations, MDH said.

The suit requests the court award Ramos compensatory damages in excess of $50,000. The sickness led to Ramos experiencing diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, fatigue, stomach pain, fever, muscle and joint aches, according to the suit. He also continues to have gastrointestinal issues, Trueblood-Konz said.

His attorney noted he thinks the restaurant's repeated failure to address sanitation issues over multiple inspections could also factor into the court awarding additional compensation to send a message.

Trueblood-Konz's firm also sued the restaurant in early 2022 in response to a child who had been sickened with salmonella during a previous outbreak. He said it was resolved but declined to comment further.