A large outbreak of Salmonella Enteritidis infections was associated with eating food served from a fast food restaurant. One employee developed gastroenteritis just one day prior to the first illness in restaurant customers. Stool collected from this employee yielded Salmonella Enteritidis. A case control study involving case-patients who had eaten meals prepared during the same work shifts as the infected employee implicated curly-fried potatoes and ice as the vehicles of infection. Both of these items had been handled with the employee's bare hands. Food workers who worked on the same shift as the index case employee also became ill. In turn, they infected additional restaurant patrons.