FAIRVIEW HEIGHTS, Ill. — A packed LongHorn Steakhouse in Fairview Heights on Wednesday was quickly emptied and closed after St. Clair County health officials announced they were investigating a spike in severe food poisoning cases linked to the restaurant.
The location was initially supposed to reopen on Friday morning. But on Thursday evening, a LongHorn spokesperson told 5 On Your Side that they would remain closed while waiting for more information from the health department.
This comes after numerous area hospitals reported increases in Shigella infection, according to LongHorn.
The bacteria causes a type of food poisoning infection called shigellosis, which triggers symptoms including bloody or prolonged diarrhea, stomach pain, and fever lasting five to seven days, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). The infection can also, in rare cases, cause reactive arthritis, bloodstream infections, and seizures.
A packed parking lot one day ago has cleared out as Shigella cases linked to the LongHorn location in Fairview Heights continue to rise.
A LongHorn spokesperson said currently, none of the restaurant’s staff have been diagnosed with Shigella. They said the health department notified them about the outbreak earlier this week.
"Our phones have been ringing off the hook today with people who ate at this restaurant and got sick. People are very upset and a little shaken due to this. We've talked to people who are just coming out of the hospital or who've been in the emergency room recently, and this has upended their lives," said Jory Lange, a food poisoning lawyer at Lange Law Firm.
Jory Lange handles hundreds of Shigella cases just like this all over the country, including a recent $10 million settlement in California, one of the highest settlements of its kind on record in the United States. He's representing several families after at least 14 people have contacted his law firm.
Lange filed the first Shigella lawsuit in this LongHorn Steakhouse outbreak on Thursday. He expects more to follow soon.
"It's a pretty miserable and horrific few days, but most people recover after that. But other people have permanent, lifelong health consequences as a result of this, things like reactive arthritis or IBS," Lange said.
Lange said some of the sick individuals are running high fevers and are very dehydrated, "I think what a lot of people don't realize is when you get severely dehydrated, it can change your potassium levels in your body, and that can lead to catastrophic health consequences."
The St. Clair Public Health Department and Illinois Department of Health investigators started looking into the cases after the spike in infections.
"As of the afternoon of October 2, 2024, the health department has received 14 Shigella reports from people testing positive," the St. Clair County Health Department said in an emailed press release. "Twelve (12) of the positive individuals dined at the LongHorn establishment between September 21st and 22nd, 2024. Six (6) cases have been hospitalized."
"Just today, we've talked to people who got sick after eating on the restaurant as early as September 19 or as late as September 27th," Lange said.
Lange said food poisoning outbreaks are almost always preventable.
"We don't know yet what the cause of this was, whether it was a product coming into the restaurant with Shigella or a sick food handler. If people are preparing food but not correctly washing their hands after using the restroom, that's how fecal matter can get into food and cause outbreaks like this. That's how food poisoning outbreaks happen and how Shigella outbreaks happen. It's typically because there's human fecal matter in the food; as gross as that sounds, that's how this happens," said Lange.
One of the infected patients told 5 On Your Side that she was in the hospital for days after eating at the restaurant on September 21st and was released on Wednesday.
Many other sick individuals said they were upset at the restaurant's delayed response, and that's why Lange said he would do whatever he could to help them.
"When you go to a restaurant, and you pay your hard-earned money for a meal with your family, you shouldn't be worried that you're going to end up in the emergency room or the hospital afterward, and unfortunately, that is exactly what's happened here," Lange said.
Health experts said it can take a day or two to start feeling symptoms. Some people could experience symptoms and be contagious for up to four or more weeks.
"It can be fever, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, sometimes diarrhea can be bloody. It can be very severe, especially in children, people who have immunocompromised systems, or even healthy people. Unfortunately, people wind up in the hospital because of it," said Dr. Farrin Manian, Chief Department of Medicine and Infectious Disease Specialist at Mercy Hospital St. Louis.
Manian also said Shigella can be very serious, and in rare cases, it can even be deadly.
"The LongHorn Steakhouse Shigella outbreak is likely to grow," said Lawyer Jory Lange, who has previously prosecuted Shigella cases. "Symptoms usually began 8 to 50 hours after eating Shigella-contaminated food. Once people get sick and go to the hospital, it takes time for stool tests to come back positive for Shigella and for those test results to be reported to hospitals. That's why the outbreak numbers will likely continue to rise."
The LongHorn Steakhouse was filled with customers Wednesday at noon when 5 On Your Side spoke to the Fairview Heights location's manager. He said the restaurant has in-place procedures for when a foodborne illness is found and is actively working with health department investigators.
At the time, the manager was unsure whether the location would be forced to close as the investigation developed. Late Wednesday afternoon, a sign was placed on the restaurant's main entrance saying the location was closed for "cleaning and training." LongHorn spokespeople told 5 On Your Side Thursday that the restaurant will voluntarily remain closed and did not share an estimated reopening date.
"It can be foodborne or waterborne, and it can even be transmitted through sexual contact. The primary source of Shigella is essentially fecal excrements of people who may be carrying it without even knowing about it or people who have diarrhea," Manian said.
Health experts said treatment varies from self-limiting cases to antibiotics for severe infections.
"If somebody is already improving and feels pretty mild symptoms, we don't have to treat it with antibiotics because it can be very self-limiting. But we can give antibiotics to those who have bloody diarrhea, a fever or are sick enough to be in the hospital. There are a couple of antibiotics that we rely on for effective treatment, and people have to take that for several days," Manian said.
Two of the infected patients, a couple from St. Clair County, reached out to 5 On Your Side after eating at the restaurant on September 22nd and getting sick a few days later. One of them was violently ill and hospitalized for several days.
"If you or a family member have eaten at the LongHorn Steakhouse located at 6115 North Illinois Street, Fairview Heights, Illinois from September 21st to present and developed diarrheal illness within 12 hours to four days after eating, please consult with your physician," the department said.
LongHorn Steakhouse sent 5 On Your Side the following statement after our initial reporting was published:
"The health and safety of our guests and team members is our number one priority, which is why we have voluntarily closed our restaurant today and tomorrow. This will allow us to conduct an additional thorough sanitization of the restaurant using a hospital-grade disinfectant. Our Total Quality manager on site will also be reinforcing our food safety and sanitation practices with our team."
The St. Clair County Health Department plans to release more information as the investigation continues.
5 On Your Side asked the health department on Thursday morning if they expect the number of cases to grow, but they have not responded.
Lange's firm expects to file the second case in this outbreak on Friday and said more are likely to follow.
Public health officials said Shigella cases should quickly be reported to local health departments by health care providers and laboratories.