Panera Bread Restaurant in Seekonk, MA Shut Down Due To High Carbon Monoxide Levels; 13 patients were treated on the scene, and five transported to the hospital.
July 29, 2016 By Laura Northrup
When you hear about a restaurant being shut down for a health hazard, you might assume that it’s because of an outbreak of illness, or because someone barfed. A Panera restaurant in Seekonk, MA closed down today to protect everyone after a carbon monoxide leak in the restaurant made 18 customers sick.
Restaurant investors are pretty nervous about the mere suggestion of foodborne illness: as soon as news reports surfaced that people in a Panera somewhere were sick, the company’s stock price fell. It recovered after investors learned that the food wasn’t implicated.
The symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning include dizziness, headache, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, shortness of breath, confusion, blurred vision, and eventually loss of consciousness. 13 patients were treated on the scene, and five transported to the hospital.
More to the point, though, the local franchisee and the health department are investigating the cause of the leak, and the restaurant will remain closed until they find it. Only then will customers and employees be allowed back in.
Panera Shuts Restaurant After Possible Carbon Monoxide Exposure [Bloomberg]
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Panera Shuts Restaurant After Possible Carbon Monoxide Exposure
Craig Giammona SitkaWriter
July 29, 2016 — 2:58 PM EDT
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Panera Bread Co. shuttered a restaurant in Massachusetts after employees and customers there were possibly exposed to carbon monoxide.
The franchisee who operates the restaurant in the town of Seekonk is working with the health department to investigate, Panera said in a statement. The cafe will remain closed “until we are absolutely certain it is safe,” the company said.
“Earlier today, several guests and associates at the Panera bakery-cafe in Seekonk exhibited symptoms consistent with possible carbon monoxide exposure,” the company said. “They were immediately taken to the hospital to be evaluated.”
Panera shares declined as much as 1.8 percent when the news of sickened customers first surfaced. The stock began to rebound after the cases were tied to carbon monoxide, rather than food. As of 2:48 p.m. in New York, the shares were trading at $220.25, down 0.6 percent.
Restaurant investors have been on edge about foodborne illnesses since Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc. suffered E. coli and norovirus outbreaks last year.
Panera said that 13 patients were treated by rescue personnel at the scene, and five were taken to the hospital for further treatment as a precaution.