FOB Sushi Reopens Weeks After Keith Lee Controversy

Two weeks after closing its doors to the public, FOB Sushi Bar in Seattle has announced that they are once again open.

After many fans shared their concerns over popular TikTok food critic Keith Lee‘s recent review of FOB Sushi Bar after they spotted what appeared to be a parasite or worm in the sushi he consumed on camera, the restaurant closed for investigation. On Monday, the restaurant shared that they are once again open on their Instagram page.

About two weeks after announcing they were closing to do an investigation, FOB Sushi Bar announced on Instagram that they are ready to reopen.

“Thank you to everyone that has reached out with your support and encouragement over the past couple of weeks. After a brief closure, we can ensure our guests that all ingredients, food preparation, food safety, and storage remain in compliance with food safety protocols and practices. Public Health – Seattle and King County visited our Seattle location recently and confirmed FOB Sushi has no food code violations. FOB Sushi in Seattle continues to have an “excellent” food safety rating from Public Health, the highest in the four-tiered food safety rating system. We will continue to closely follow food safety regulations and guidance. We want the public to be assured that FOB Sushi is committed to our guests’ health and safety at all times,” the Instagram caption reads.

“The FOB Sushi team is excited to reopen both locations tomorrow, Tuesday, December 3rd at 11am. As a small business that is proud to operate in the Seattle area, we are grateful for your business. We look forward to welcoming you back to FOB Sushi this week and beyond. Thank you for your support – we love you, Seattle!”

The comment section is turned off on the post.

In early November, Lee shared his review of FOB Sushi Bar on TikTok. It didn’t take long for viewers to notice something not quite right about one of the things he tried on camera – the sashimi.

When Lee held the piece of sushi up with his chopsticks, many viewers claimed to have seen something worm-like move on the right side. After viewers slowed down the video and zoomed into the sushi, many noticed something shocking.

“Your favorite one had a worm on it,” one viewer wrote in the comment section. Another said, “At 1:50, the end of your sushi was moving.”

Lee broke his silence on the concerning piece of sushi in a TikTok video shared on November 17.

He began his video by catching up anyone who didn’t know what was going on by explaining that someone slowed down his video to capture what appeared to be a worm moving in one of the pieces of sushi he consumed.

“It did appear that something moved. A thousand percent transparency, I didn’t see anything until someone pointed it out,” he said. “I can’t confirm or deny what it was, but I can confirm I am okay.”

He then explained why he decided to make the video.

“Only reason I’m making this video is because I saw a video of somebody who went the day after us, and now they’re hospitalized,” he continued. “Just me and my character and who I am as a person, I’m gonna come out and I’m gonna say something about it.”

Lee’s video continued with him explaining that while he doesn’t “believe in tearing down any business,” he had to speak up because people’s health is on the line. After seeing a TikTok video of a woman who was currently in the hospital after eating at FOB Sushi Bar and seeing the footage of “something moving in food,” he believed that “accountability” should be taken by the restaurant.

“For the restaurant to post a statement indicating that me holding a sushi or me holding a chopstick a certain way is why the sushi moved, I personally don’t agree with it,” he continued. “Because I’ve had sushi a thousand times and I held sushi a thousand different ways, and never once have I seen sushi behaving that way. Again, that’s not me saying it was a worm or it was a parasite, I’m just saying, it was nothing that I did on my end.”

The restaurant responded to the online controversy by announcing they were closing for an undetermined amount of time to investigate the claims of possible parasites in their sushi.

They closed their Seattle and their Bellevue locations to conduct “a thorough investigation to address the situation and will take all necessary measures to prevent it from happening again.”

A bit of a debate began in the comment section of the announcement post.

“Should have temporary closed earlier to investigate and not blame the chopsticks,” one person wrote. Another said, “So you lied claiming it was false news and now someone is in hospital. Shame on you.”

One other person shared, “To everyone leaving such negative comments—take a moment to reflect. It’s truly unfortunate that someone is hospitalized, and my heart goes out to them. Consuming raw food always carries some risk, but the level of scrutiny this restaurant is facing feels excessive. This is a family-owned business that has positively contributed to Seattle, yet many of you seem quick to judge and criticize without considering the impact of your words. You’re not just sharing opinions; you’re potentially destroying a family’s livelihood. Let’s approach this situation with more empathy and fairness.”