Homepage / Portland News
E-Mail News Alerts
Get breaking news and daily headlines.
Browse all e-mail newsletters

P.F. Chang's To Reopen After More Than 100 Sickened

Norovirus Responsible For Illnesses, Officials Say

POSTED: 5:44 pm PDT July 31, 2008
UPDATED: 5:29 pm PDT August 1, 2008

Washington County health officials said an outbreak of norovirus was responsible for more than 100 customers and 10 employees getting sick at a local P.F. Chang's restaurant.

The restaurant planned to reopen at 11 a.m. Saturday with the permission of the health department.

The health department started getting calls July 24 from people who dined at the P.F. Chang's Chinese Bistro in Bridgeport Village.

The P.F. Chang's was still closed Friday in order to completely clean the restaurant.

After health department workers did some testing inside, they found out the illnesses were caused by an outbreak of norovirus.

Overall, officials said they'd received more than 100 complaints from customers who had gotten sick, which didn't include the 10 employees who became ill as well.

Norovirus is a highly contagious virus that quickly spreads on surfaces and between people.

Customers were confused at first as to where they had picked up the illness.

Craig and Nicole Baumer remember the wide array of dishes they tried with their friends on Saturday at P.F. Chang's. They felt fine until 24 hours later.

"Sunday night, I woke up in the middle of the night and just felt horrible," Craig Baumer said.

The Baumers thought it was a bug they picked up abroad.

"We were actually in China the week before. So we thought this was something we brought back with us from China," Nicole Baumer said.

They soon discovered their hometown Chinese restaurant was the culprit instead.

"It was bad, it was bad," Craig Baumer said.

He said the virus felt a lot like the flu, but he and his wife were back to normal in about a day.

And now they can only enjoy the irony of the whole incident.

"We didn't have any problems (in China), but apparently coming back to Portland and eating Chinese here was apparently a problem," Craig Baumer said.

Norovirus Outbreak Responsible For P.F. Chang's Closure

Links We Like
Sponsored Content
Feeling bloated or uncomfortable after eating? Try these five recipes and find out why they are so good for digestion. More

Find out what a sputtering economy and an increasingly difficult to crack job market means to you. More

Check out some of the most notorious police car chase scenes ever caught on tape. Don’t try this at home. More

Studies have identified several factors that increase the risk of stroke. Find out what they are here. More

Sponsored Links

Consumer Info


Sponsored Content Provided by ARA