The Mexican restaurant chain Wahaca has been forced to close several branches after more than 350 customers and staff fell ill with suspected norovirus.

Public Health England and environmental health officers were called in after the suspected outbreak of the winter vomiting bug struck at nine branches last week. They were all shut down, although four have since reopened.

Co-founders Thomasina Miers, the 2005 Masterchef winner, and Mark Selby, said: “We assessed each case and when it became clear they were not isolated incidents, we got in touch with relevant officials at Public Health England and environmental health officers.

“In tandem with that, we took our own precautionary measures – voluntarily closing affected restaurants, carrying out anti-viral deep cleaning at all of our restaurants, whether affected or not, and ensuring that any staff member who had reported illness remained off site until their symptoms had ceased for at least 48 hours.”

The branches – all in London – that remain closed, are in Canary Wharf, Covent Garden, Oxford Circus, Soho, and Westfield in White City.

A number of diners complained about how they had fallen ill.

@jones_becki @Aimee_CN_Hughes @wahaca 6 of us went to Canary Wharf on Thursday now all have food poisoning too! 😷 — Hannah McElduff (@HannahMcElduff1) October 29, 2016

Norovirus, which which causes diarrhoea and vomiting, is one of the most common stomach bugs and, while it is more common in winter, can be caught at any time of the year. It can be very unpleasant but usually clears up by itself in a few days.



The virus can rapidly spread in public places and can be caught through close contact with someone with the virus (if they breathe out particles containing the virus), touching contaminated surfaces or eating contaminated food, which has been handled by an affected person who has not washed their hands.

One of the most notorious cases of norovirus at a restaurant, occurred at the three Michelin starred Fat Duck in Bray, Berkshire in 2009, when at least 240 people fell ill.

But the spread of the virus between different branches in the same chain is unusual and health officials said they are still trying to identify the cause.

Deborah Turbitt, London deputy director for health protection for Public Health England, said: “Public Health England has been notified of a suspected norovirus outbreak at a restaurant chain. We are working closely with environmental health officers and the restaurant chain to investigate.

“We have so far been made aware of 205 staff and 160 members of the public reporting illness. However, these are unconfirmed cases. Currently, the source of the outbreak is not confirmed and this remains under investigation.”

She urged people affected to drink lots of fluids to avoid dehydration. People who suspect they have the virus are advised to try to avoid going to the GP in case they spread it to others but to call their doctor or the 111 helpline if symptoms persist.

Visitors to the Wahaca webpage for the branches that remain shut were greeted with the message: “We’re really sorry but due to unforeseen circumstances, we’ve had to close today. We hope to be open again soon, please keep an eye here for updates.”



