The Inner Harbor’s Fogo de Chão — a staple spot for Baltimore work events and celebratory dinners — is being sued over allegations that rodent feces and other health violations contributed to a salmonella outbreak last year.
Former customer Michele Allen said she grew sick two days after dining on salmon with Caesar dressing and produce from the Brazilian steakhouse’s all-you-can-eat salad bar on April 8, 2023, according to a lawsuit filed in Baltimore City Circuit Court in July. An ambulance transported her to Northwest Hospital on April 14, where she remained for two days after being diagnosed with salmonella poisoning, according to the suit.
She alleges the restaurant was negligent in addressing safety concerns such as rodent droppings on a dish machine and in the back storage closet, as well as critical temperature violations related to a fruit cocktail mix, Caesar dressing and bar refrigerator believed to have played a role in an “outbreak” that led to multiple customers contracting salmonella last April. The lawsuit notes that rodents “can be reservoirs for Salmonella.”
Allen, who claims she is still recovering from her illness, is suing for more than $75,000. Allen’s attorney, Jeffrey Scholnick, did not respond to requests for comment.
A spokesperson for Fogo De Chão did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
According to Maryland Department of Health documents obtained by The Baltimore Banner, a Baltimore City Health Department inspection initiated following the date when Allen said she was hospitalized found certain foods kept at hazardously warm temperatures, including the Caesar dressing and a fruit cocktail puree mix. Soap and paper towels were also absent from the bar area sink, and the dining area sink had no hot water.
There were five cases of salmonella poisoning reported to the city department around the time of the inspection, with two people said to be ill, according to the health agency documents. In follow-up inspections over the next month, rodent droppings and issues with sanitary equipment became apparent, but many of the violations were later corrected when the restaurant closed down for two weeks in early May.
In total, the department discovered 62 cases of salmonella during its investigation through surveys with patrons and staff, the documents said. Only five people were confirmed to be exposed to the bacteria that causes illness, but 36 of the reported cases came back with positive laboratory tests for salmonella. The incidents were similar to an outbreak that occurred in 2022, in which three residents reported eating at Fogo De Chão.
The health department investigation did not determine the cause of the outbreak, but suggested the strain of salmonella was either able to persist in the restaurant from 2022 to 2023, or it was reintroduced by an employee, documents said. Possible sources include contaminated equipment, backsplash from hoses, ill staff or a “rodent reservoir might have existed,” according to investigators. Previous violations in 2022 detail rodent droppings, and there is some evidence the critters can carry foodborne pathogens.
