On Friday, the Health Department released a statement confirming an E. coli outbreak that sickened 14 people in San Francisco, many of whom had eaten at Burma Superstar around August 16th or 17th.
It’s the first such incident for the popular Clement Street restaurant, which has been in business for 17 years and always has a long line of customers waiting for a table.
The restaurant voluntarily closed on Friday for the weekend, and posted a letter on their windows for customers.
The letter includes a statement from Burma Superstar owner Desmond Tan, saying “we are confident any exposure has been eliminated”. Tan goes on to say that he voluntarily decided to close the restaurant for Labor Day weekend, but will re-open on Monday, September 2.
Alongside Tan’s statement is one from Tomas J. Aragon, a San Francisco Health Officer. In it, he wrote “Based on our current investigation, our preliminary conclusion is that there is no ongoing risk to the public’s health”. He also said the restaurant will remain open.
According to Aragon’s statement, the strain of E. coli found in those who became sick was E. coli O157, which can cause severe illness, abdominal cramps and diarrhea. E. coli, formally known as Escherichia coli, is typically transmitted through contaminated water or food, or through contact with animals or persons (Center for Disease Control).
Burma Superstar has two other locations in the Bay Area – Oakland and Alameda – and owner Desmond Tan also owns and operates two other restaurants just down the block on Clement Street – B Star Cafe and Eats.
Sarah B.
A passerby stops to read the E. coli notice posted on the windows of Burma Superstar
Hope they can get their act together, some of the best food on Clement for many, many years.
I do miss old Eats though, before goat cheese appeared on the menu and it got wedged with hipsters. A few more breakfast places would be nice; the people that took over the Zaab location advertise “American breakfasts”, but never seem to be open at breakfast-time.
@alyxandr
Eats…Yeah I used to have lunch there often too. Haven’t set foot in there since the changes.
Gross
This news should make the lines to get in shorter for awhile.
Sorry to hear about this. Personally, I think Mandalay on California is a much better restaurant–one of my favorites in S.F.!
I love Mandalay too. And I’d like more American breakfasts and food too, even though I love Asian food!
My husband and I got take out from Burma Superstar on Monday, with no ill effects. Also, For those mentioning American breakfast- Q Restaurant is fantastic!
Sure, for you 1%ers who breakfast at 11am, maybe. 😉
Ha! I was thinking more brunch on the weekend. There is no way I could get up early enough to eat somewhere before work.
I probably shouldn’t share this – but Alyxander, you should try Hamburger Haven for basic, american diner type breakfasts!
Yes, HH is great; I just liked Eats for a change, on those occasions when you’re too lazy to hike across the park to Howard’s or Art’s.
I still like Eats – like it more than before, in fact. The menu is nicer and the service is faster. And no burnt pancakes.
Hamburger Haven rocks, too. They’re so nice there and the weekday breakfast specials are good.
There are always lines outside Grindz, if you like Hawaiian style breakfast.