Food critic Keith Lee had fans concerned after he found something “moving” in his sushi. Now, the sushi restaurant that served him has closed indefinitely over “food safety concerns.”
The TikTok personality, who has 16.8 million followers on the app, is known for amplifying small businesses by sharing food reviews on his account. While visiting restaurants throughout Seattle, Washington, he ventured into FOB Sushi Bar — a spot that came highly recommended by locals.
Lee’s review of FOB Sushi began overwhelmingly positive, as he described the sushi bar preparing its offerings in “the most unique way I’ve ever seen in my entire life.” He spent $15 at the buffet-style sushi bar, where boxes of sushi are sold by the pound.
As he filmed himself eating the box of nigiri and sashimi in his car, Lee rated the sushi on a scale of one to 10. He told his followers that the fish tasted fresh, but the rice seemed overcooked. At the 1:50 minute mark, however, he picked up a piece of sashimi with his chopsticks, only for fans to point out what appeared to be a “worm” moving on it just seconds before he put it in his mouth.
“Nah that fish definitely moved,” one fan wrote in the TikTok comments.
“Nooo there was a worm in one of them,” another user said.
“WHY WAS IT MOVING,” a third person exclaimed.
Since it was posted on November 10, his video has received more than 20.2 million views — prompting the restaurant to issue a response.
FOB Sushi addressed the “false” allegations that Lee’s sashimi contained a parasite, as the company wrote in an Instagram post: “The movement observed in the fish may result from natural elasticity or the pressure of chopsticks when applied to its structure.”
“Rumors like this can harm small businesses, so we’re addressing it head-on. Thank you for trusting us and supporting FOB Sushi,” they captioned the post.
In a follow-up TikTok shared on Sunday, Lee assured fans that he was fine and didn’t notice anything moving on his food until his followers had pointed it out. The food critic went on to suggest, however, that another customer had recently been hospitalized after visiting FOB Sushi, as he told his followers that he “spoke to them personally and sent them my well wishes.”
“I don’t believe in tearing down any business but at the same time, people’s health are on the line. If somebody’s saying they’re in the hospital and there’s something’s moving in food, I absolutely think there’s accountability that should be taken,” Lee said.
Despite FOB Sushi maintaining in its original statement that the restaurant has “never had any issues regarding food safety,” the company revealed to customers on Monday — just 10 days after the incident — that it has decided to temporarily close its locations in Bellevue and Seattle “until further notice.”
“We are conducting a thorough investigation to address the situation and will take all necessary measures to prevent it from happening again,” they said.
