A Chili’s restaurant in San Bernardino County has temporarily shut down after several employees became ill.
Closure of the restaurant, located at 10020 Alabama Street in Redlands, was implemented “out of an abundance of caution,” according to a Chili’s spokesperson.
It’s unclear what illness the workers were infected with, but an employee who did not wish to be identified told KTLA it may have been a stomach virus. That detail, however, has not been confirmed.
During the closure, the restaurant will undergo a deep cleaning and sanitization procedure.
Chili’s responded to KTLA’s request for a comment saying:
“The health and safety of Guests and Team Members is our number one priority. After discovering several of our Team Members recently became ill, we elected to temporarily close our Redlands location out of an abundance of caution. Though we have no confirmed diagnoses of any specific illnesses, we are using this as an opportunity to fully sanitize the restaurant and reinforce our strict cleaning policies and procedures.”
Officials at the San Bernardino County Department of Public Health are aware of the closure and said, “The decision was made in adherence to public health guidelines and prioritizing the safety of both customers and staff. San Bernardino County Environmental Health Services (EHS) received two complaints related to the restaurant and has initiated a thorough investigation into the reported cases, aiming to ensure compliance with health and safety standards.”
The restaurant is scheduled to reopen on Friday, Feb. 2.
“We apologize for any inconvenience the temporary closing may cause and look forward to serving our Guests again,” a Chili’s spokesperson said.
Chili’s is an American Tex-Mex restaurant chain with over 1,200 locations across the U.S. and in international locations.