How not to treat customers

Sekiya’s Restaurant in Kaimuki is closed. Why? Hawaii’s worst outbreak of E. coli 0157:H7 ever gave some Sekiya customers bloody diarrhea in the past few months.

Worse, the Health Department says Sekiya’s had repeated health inspection violations and will remain closed until the entire facility is decontaminated, disinfected, and sterile. All anyone knows is that the restaurant may open in the future.

It may be safe to say that customers who became sick because of the E. coli outbreak at the restaurant are not likely to attend Sekiya’s Grand Re-Opening. I think I’ll wait awhile.

Of greater interest is the Department of Health’s response to the situation. Apparently, the State doesn’t have enough inspectors to inspect restaurants with sufficient regularity. Problems like that experienced by Sekiya’s and their former customers come about because the Department of Health doesn’t inspect often enough.

Is that a cry for help, or business as usual?

Even after six customers complained of bloody diarrhea in December, Sekiya’s continued to serve contaminated food to customers until the latest crackdown. Now employees will have to learn how to wash their hands and handle food properly.

Even after going to the unprecedented measure of closing down a restaurant and dumping their food stock, the Department of Health continues to inspect restaurants. Sometimes.