A possible foodborne illness may have sickened 17 people who ate at the Grumpy Goat Tavern in Elgin, IL, on Saturday. The Kane County Health Department in Aurora, IL, is investigating the reports. Those suffering from “gastrointestinal disorders” had eaten from a buffet at the restaurant in The Highlands of Elgin Golf Course after participating in a golf outing, according to Tom Schlueter, a health department spokesman. He didn’t think any of them had been hospitalized.
“There’s a possible foodborne outbreak in Elgin, and we’re doing what we call ‘food investigation’ and finding out what people ate and when they ate, and if they feel sick or if they’re not feeling sick,” he said. The owner of the tavern said he knew about the situation and that the city and county health departments were handling it. The city health department was contacted on Tuesday by one of the sickened individuals, who said he and four others had flu-like symptoms after eating at the Grumpy Goat, which opened in April. City health officials said they had inspected the restaurant and found everything was sanitized and functioning properly, according to a city spokeswoman. However, she said no leftover food from the Saturday buffet was available for testing, so there was no confirmation that it was actually the cause of any illnesses.
