In October 2012, the Hennepin County Human Services and Public Health Department (HSPHD) investigated an outbreak of viral gastroenteritis associated with a restaurant in Plymouth, Minnesota. Two persons from different dining parties reported symptoms of vomiting and diarrhea. Implicated meal dates were October 7 and October 8,

HSPHD sanitarians visited the restaurant on October 12 and did not note any critical violations. Illness histories and job duties were obtained from 77 restaurant employees. Six employees reported recent gastrointestinal illness. Five of the ill employees were servers and one was a host. Onset dates of illness were October 8 (n=2), October 9, 10, 12, and 14. One of the employees with an illness onset on October 8 reported working as a server at the restaurant while ill.

Investigators concluded that while the etiology was not laboratory confirmed, the incubation periods and symptoms were compatible with norovirus. The vehicle of transmission was not identified; however, the most plausible scenario was that ready-to-eat foods were contaminated by ill or recently ill food workers.