51 people fall ill after wedding, Iowa bride says. Caterer faced health violations

An Iowa restaurant says a bride’s complaint is “unverifiable” after she posted that dozens of people fell ill after eating food catered at her wedding.

Lindsey Humphreys said in a Facebook post shared on a Des Moines food lovers group that 51 of her wedding guests began having food poisoning symptoms the day after her wedding in early June.

“Everyone that got sick had a few things in common. They ate the food from Fireside Grille and they all got sick around the same time,” Humphreys said in her June 21 Facebook post.

In a Facebook post Sunday, June 25, Fireside Grille said complaints made about the food poisoning were “unverifiable.” The restaurant said “it is very unfortunate” people became ill and it is “not ignoring any of this.”

Humphreys said she called Fireside Grille, but she said “the manager had no concern” and tried to blame the incident on something else. That led to her calling the Iowa Health Department.

The Iowa Department of Inspections & Appeals visited the Altoona restaurant June 12 and issued five risk-factor violations. An inspector found pork tenderloin was stored at 44.7 degrees, more than 4 degrees above the maximum temperature food should be stored.

The Food and Drug Administration says refrigerated food should be kept at temperatures at or below 40 degrees. When it’s stored above that temperature, bacteria is more likely to grow, according to the Food Safety and Inspection Service.

Fireside Grille was also cited for mold in the interior of its ice machine, among other violations, and the restaurant corrected all the issues, according to the report.

“We thank everyone for your continued support and remember there are always two sides to every story,” the restaurant said on Facebook. “Please keep an open mind and let the process run its course.”

Guests at the wedding had a buffet-style dinner from Fireside Grille that included a pasta bar and a pizza bake. There was also a taco bar and a Philly chicken and steak bar, according to the wedding website.

Humphreys said she tried to get a refund, but the restaurant would not allow it.

“Definitely isn’t something I wanted to deal with after my wedding,” she said. “Super embarrassing too.”

Altoona is a northeast suburb of Des Moines.

This story was originally published June 26, 2023 at 2:42 PM.