E. coli outbreak

This story reports on the E. coli outbreak in Orange County. A 12-year old girl remains hospitalized and in intensive care, but restaurant continues to operate. From another story the previous day, the LA Times:
From the story:

"It's not good," said Eric Larson, a Souplantation regional manager, as he greeted customers at the door during Tuesday's lunch hour. "We're usually nearly full during the lunch rush. But now we're maybe a quarter full."But some customers said they were undeterred by the negative publicity."What happened here could happen to any restaurant," said Mike Gallawa, 53, of Huntington Beach before he entered the restaurant with his wife. "Things like this can happen when you handle such large amounts of food."We've been coming to Souplantations for years, and we love it. And with all the scrutiny this place is getting, it's probably one of the safest places to eat these days."Not everyone was as accepting. Jim Lowes, a 55-year-old Foothill Ranch resident, said he was angry that management did not inform him of the E. coli outbreak. "Had I known, I would not have chosen this place," said Lowes, minutes after finishing off a salad and a bowl of chicken noodle soup. "I'll never eat here again. They should have put up a sign or something."Larson said the company wasn't hiding anything from its customers. "If people ask," he said, "we're telling them that seven people who ate here became ill and that the health department is looking into finding the source of it."


TK: With the instant communication of the Web, restaurants pay a stiff price for outbreaks. No commodity source has been found for the E. coli, but health authorities say the pathogen appears similar to the one linked to spinach last year. And, of course, the spinach outbreak becomes a point of reference in every story.