Yoko 3 in Sammamish reopens after violating food safety regulations

A teriyaki restaurant in Sammamish reopened this week after public health officials closed it for violating multiple food safety regulations.

A teriyaki restaurant in Sammamish reopened this week after public health officials closed it for violating multiple food safety regulations.

King County Public Health was also investigating several food poisoning cases linked to the business, Yoko 3, located at 4516 Klahanie Drive SE.

No one was hospitalized.

The possible outbreak occurred after a group ate at the restaurant July 5.

Later that day, three people “became ill with gastrointestinal symptoms including cramping and diarrhea,” according to the county’s outbreak investigation summary.

The symptoms and timing of the illness were consistent with bacterial food poisoning, according to the county’s investigation.

“The food source that led to these illnesses is unknown, but may have been rice, which is a frequent vehicle for bacterial toxins,” according to the summary. “No tests were done to confirm which pathogen caused the illness: bacterial toxin illnesses are typically short-lived and by the time people seek care — if they do at all — it is too far from exposure to test.”

Public health officials learned of the illnesses last week, on July 7. Since then, no one has reported another incident.

On Monday, officials temporarily closed Yoko 3 after a field investigation revealed problems “including storage of potentially hazardous foods at unsafe temperatures, improper cooling of potentially hazardous foods, cross contamination, and inadequate handwashing,” according to the county.

The business reopened after passing a reinspection and attending “an administrative conference,” according to the county.