In December 2011, 15 participants at a clinic's holiday party held at a restaurant in Bloomington, Illinois became ill with vomiting and diarrhea. The implicated meal date was December 12. A stool specimen submitted by one ill holiday party attendee tested positive for norovirus GII. No one was hospitalized and no one died.

No food items were significantly associated with illness. Foods at the holiday party were served buffet style. City of Bloomington Environmental Health (CBEH) sanitarians interviewed 12 restaurant employees. None reported recent vomiting and diarrhea. However, two employees reported fever and abdominal pain during the week prior to the event. CBEH also received complaints from patrons that the restaurant lacked hot water in their restrooms. The restaurant reported that their hot water heater had broken and that the restaurant was without hot water on December 12.

No vehicle was identified and the source of contamination was not confirmed. However, some holiday party attendees with illness onsets prior to the event were identified which coupled with the lack of adequate handwashing facilities at the restaurant and buffet-style food service at the event suggests that an ill attendee may have been the source of contamination.