Kumo Sushi and Steakhouse of Stony Brook is officially closed after twenty-eight guests who dined on Saturday, September 9, suffered from intense food-borne illness almost immediately after their meal.
This food-borne illness was caused by ‘improperly stored rice’ according to a Suffolk County spokesperson. The restaurant was under inspection following the influx of 911 calls and hospitalizations, resulting in fifteen violations, eight of which were for risk factors for food-borne illness.
Rice is dangerous to consume if not properly refrigerated after being cooked. Nancy Mitchell, RN, a geriatric nursing care expert reported to PR Newswire, “Bacterial spores are heat resistant, so they survive even after rice is cooked and reheated.”
These spores can grow into bacteria if rice is left standing at room temperature, then multiply and produce toxins that cause severe illness.
Some guests, twelve of whom were hospitalized due to the illness, are now suing the well-known sushi and steakhouse after the traumatic ordeal.
Jory Lange, the food poisoning lawyer representing one woman who fell ill while attending a birthday party at Kumo, is “one of Manhattan’s leading Product Liability Lawyers, according to The Lange Law Firm.
“The scary thing about this outbreak is, as a consumer, there’s nothing you can do to tell whether the food that you are buying is safe,” said Jory Lange on Cision. ‘You can’t taste, smell, or see food poisoning. Food that is contaminated may look, smell, and taste just like any other food. This is why it’s critical that restaurants who make and sell our food, ensure the food is safe before they sell it.”
After a multitude of hospitalizations and a number of lawsuits, Kumo of Stony Brook found it a hard episode to come back from. Unfortunately, they are dragging unrelated restaurants with the same name down with them.
Kumo Sushi of Plainview has seen a 30% decrease in business since the event at Stony Brook, despite the fact that the restaurants have completely separate owners. “Growing up in Plainview, Kumo has always been a top-notch sushi place,” says Gary Dvoskin of Plainview in Tri-State Restaurant Group. “I am pleased to report Kumo is as great as ever, despite the recent troubles. The owner and staff were so nice, great. Highly recommend the spicy edamame.”
There are nine additional restaurants in New York with the same name, Kumo. According to Dvoskin, Kumo restaurants in Plainview, Bay Shore and Franklin Square have no relationship to Kumo in Stony Brook, and he urges other diners to visit.
“If you can get over there, you will have a great meal and help with some unfairness,” says Dvoskin.
Gary Dvoskin’s wife, Lisa, is an attorney with Lamb and Barnosky in Melville. Working with restaurants and trademark law, Lisa told Newsday, “From 2010 to 2021, a Kumo restaurant in Florida secured federal trademark protection for that name, but it is generally difficult to secure and defend such a trademark around names that are not distinctive.” She explained that these restaurants have slightly different names, Kumo Sushi of Plainview and Kumo Sushi and Steakhouse of Stony Brook, therefore do not go against this trademark protection.
Kumo of Stony Brook officially closed last Sunday, September 24, and does not plan on reopening in the future. Kumo announced in a public statement:
“The health, safety and well-being of our customers has always been our top priority. The entire team at Kumo expresses our deepest regret and we apologize to those impacted by the recent situation at our restaurant. We understand the seriousness of the matter and we continue to cooperate with all parties to fully understand the cause. In light of the recent events, we have made the very difficult decision to permanently close the restaurant.”
Kumo also urges the Long Island community to continue visiting other restaurants of similar names, as “there are no business connections between these operations and ours.”
