Cork restaurant Son of a Bun set to re-open

Cork restaurant Son of a Bun will re-open today after a temporary closure order from the HSE.

The order followed an investigation into an outbreak of e.coli in the city, which identified eight adult cases.

Son of a Bun owners, Niall and Amanda O’Regan, confirmed in a statement this week that “four staff have tested positive to carrying bacteria linked with e.coli”.

The closure order was served last Wednesday, June 29.

No definitive cause has been identified in relation to the existence of the bacteria on staff at the restaurant and no pathogens have been found in the food chain at the MacCurtain Street premises.

“We have worked tirelessly for the last 7 days to help the HSE in their investigation into an Ecoli infection and to reassure them that we are totally committed to food safety and public health. It is always our primary focus - it has to be - when you are involved in any business that serves the public,” said Mr O’Regan.

“We have fully complied with every item addressed in the closure order, including building works, rezoning of foodstuffs and so on. We have also re-trained all our staff, sanitized the entire building, and taken every measure to ensure that Son of A Bun is adhering to every regulation and guideline provided by the HSE and FSAI.

"We have also committed to the authorities that we have removed our trademark “pink” burgers from the menu. The HSE is now satisfied that our restaurant is ready to resume service and they have lifted the closure notice,” he said.

Mr O'Regan also said that the restaurant had received a number of messages of support from the public on its social media accounts.

Son of a Bun opens at 12! The closure notice is lifted by HSE. Thank u for the positive msgs, tweets & comments of support #showofsupport

— Son of a Bun (@sonofabuncork) July 8, 2016

Upon opening last year, the owners stated that Son of a Bun was “the only restaurant approved by the HSE to serve burgers cooked pink”.

Last week, the HSE said that it does not award approval to restaurants wishing to serve rare or medium-rare burgers.

In a statement on Facebook today, the restaurant confirmed that they will only serve burgers cooked at 75 degrees and over after making a commitment to the HSE.