A scandal involving a sushi restaurant and a high-profile social media influencer has led to a temporary closure of two Seattle-area FOB Sushi locations. After Keith Lee, a TikTok food critic with millions of followers, posted a video of sushi appearing to move on its own, the restaurant has been thrust into the spotlight. Addressing the incident that has since gone viral, FOB Sushi stated on Instagram, “The movement in the video is due to natural elasticity in the fish — not worms,” as obtained by GeekWire. Despite their efforts to quickly debunk the claims, they decided to shut down their operations indefinitely to conduct a full investigation.
The original video, which now stands at over 19 million views, was initially met with acclaim from the restaurant's patrons. However, it didn't take too long for viewers to start to speculate about the presence of a worm in the fish. In an ensuing video, Lee admitted, "1,000% transparency, I didn't see anything until somebody pointed out. I can't confirm or deny what it was, but I can confirm I am OK," according to KOMO News. This ambiguity has only served to fuel further public scrutiny and unease with regard to food safety at the establishments.
In the wake of the viral video, another TikTok user, Joshua Rivera, posted a video alleging that his girlfriend had fallen ill after dining at the FOB Sushi Bar. Rivera's post seemed to further pressure the situation, showing time-stamped images and text messages to support his claim. This development was quickly followed by Public Health – Seattle & King County confirming the receipt of complaints and the initiation of an investigation into the matter, as reported by GeekWire.
FOB Sushi, in a bid to restore public confidence, announced through Instagram that they were taking the situation seriously and would look thoroughly into any possible lapse in food safety protocols. “Your health and safety are our highest priorities. We are conducting a thorough investigation to address the situation and will take all necessary measures to prevent it from happening again,” the restaurant's statement read, as GeekWire reported.
