Washington Sushi Restaurant Under Investigation After Viral Video Shows Staff Preparing Food on the Floor

A sushi restaurant in Washington is under investigation after a video showing workers apparently preparing food on the kitchen floor went viral.

Elijah Osborn shared videos of workers at QQ Sushi & Kitchen in Spokane on Facebook Sunday night. The clips showed staff appearing to violate health codes by preparing food on the floor and not storing raw meat and fish on ice.

Alongside the videos, which have since been viewed thousands of times, Osborn wrote: "I'm sorry to the one friend who I saw in there and I didn't tell you to leave and not buy food.

"I'm sorry to my boy who asked me one day if I could come help out but I dont mean to do you or your girl dirty but I have such a passion for cooking and the food and beverage industry I have a moral obligation to show the people what they are paying for."

Osborn told KXLY that he had been doing a favor for a friend by washing dishes at the restaurant for a few days.

"I've never seen anything like that before in my life. The biggest deal was when I saw them prepping stuff on the floor every single day," he told the station.

He added that he did report the restaurant to the Spokane Regional Health District (SRHD), but wanted to share the clips on social media so customers know what's going on.

"If the health department comes and you're in there, you're not going to prep something on the floor instantly. That's not what you're going to do," he added.

Hours after he posted the clips on his Facebook page, QQ Sushi & Kitchen posted on Facebook that the restaurant would be closed on Monday.

Bao Zhang, the restaurant's owner, told Newsweek he plans to reopen next week after getting authorization from the SRHD. He added that his entire kitchen staff and management will be replaced.

"I was deeply disturbed by what I saw on those videos," Zhang said. "That does not accurately portray me and how I run my business. I have owned QQ Sushi for more than five years.

"We have thousands of good reviews online averaging 4 out of 5 stars and often have a line of people out the door. Our customers are like family to me, so I hope people know I'm taking this seriously and want to get back to serving the community with delicious food as I have for the past five years."

"I sincerely apologize for the distress this has caused our customers and the Spokane community. I usually go to great lengths to ensure that we are serving the best quality food, made with the best ingredients in a safe environment. What we all witnessed is not acceptable and we are doing everything we can to make sure this never happens again."

A spokesperson for the SRHD confirmed to Newsweek they visited QQ Sushi & Kitchen on Tuesday, when it was closed, and health officials will return to inspect the restaurant after it reopens.

"Spokane Regional Health District's Food Safety team received a complaint for QQ Sushi & Kitchen over the weekend," the spokesperson said.

"We were not able to observe the food handling procedures at that time, but we were able to provide the staff and management with education on proper food handling procedures and discuss methods to help streamline operations in order to maintain proper practices going forward," the spokesperson added.

"We will inspect the restaurant again when it is in operation to ensure they are using proper food-handling practices."

Previous routine inspections and re-inspections from the SRHD found the restaurant had a number of violations. Inspections in 2018 found violations related to raw meat storage, proper cold-holding procedures and handwashing facilities. Inspections conducted last year found similar violations.

KHQ reported that staff at the restaurant appeared to be thoroughly cleaning the premises on Monday.

This article has been updated with comments from the owner of QQ Sushi & Kitchen and the SRHD.