The Golden Ponds Restaurant and Party House located at 500 Long Pond Road in Greece, NY was closed Nov 26 by the Monroe Department of Public Health. The public was notified by a sign posted on the the restaurant’s door.

It said: “Take notice that pursuant to the authority conferred upon me by the applicable provisions of subpart 14-1 of the New York State Sanitary Code, the within food service establishment has been ordered closed and all food operations are to cease therein by order made by me this 26th day of November 2016.” It was signed by Dr. Michael Mendoza, the Interim Commissioner of Public Health.

The closure was ordered after as many as 60 people reported illnesses associated with eating at the restaurant on Thanksgiving Day. Most reported they were experiencing severe diarrhea. Spokesman John Ricci said the department knew there was a problem when it began getting multiple calls from people who all had the same problem.

Health Department inspectors visited Golden Ponds restaurant late Friday. They inspected the facility, interviewed the staff, reviewed records and collected samples of leftover food. The department then ordered that the rest of the leftover food be destroyed, Ricci said.

“Having done all that and given what was seeming to turn out to be a pretty significant number of calls coming in, we thought it best to close them,” Ricci told local media. Monroe County closes less than three restaurants a year.

The Golden Pond had 18 non-critical violations during its last Inspection, which was conducted on Nov. 1, 2016. The restaurant has declined to comment.

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