A Ybor City restaurant says it is closing after it was recently revealed an employee tested positive for Hepatitis A.
On Hamburger Mary's Facebook account, the restaurant said Tuesday would be the last night it would be in business.
"It is with great regret that Kurt King and Brian DeChane must announce that tonight will be the last day/night that Hamburger Mary’s Bar and Grill and Hamburger Mary’s Pub House in Ybor City will be open," the statement said.
Last month, the Florida Department of Health announced an employee at Hamburger Mary's had tested positive for Hepatitis A and recommended that people who had eaten there should be vaccinated to keep from getting sick. It had offered free vaccines for customers but that offer has since ended.
Kurt King, the restaurant's owner, blamed the media coverage of the case for the restaurant's closure.
"Not one case linked to my restaurant but all over the news 68 people in St Pete 38 in Hillsborough county have Hep A where do they work and why haven’t there business they work at been on the news. ... The news keep putting our name in the new(s) every single day we’ll they be happy when we have to close and put our Mary’s family out of work."
The restaurant's official statement also cited the publicity following the case as the cause for the closure.
"We, along with our Management Team and dedicated staff, have done our best to keep Mary’s doors open for nine years, but the latest challenge over the last couple of weeks has proven to be too much to overcome.
"It was our pleasure to serve the entire community whether it was a safe place to come and enjoy a meal amongst friends or a place to hold your community fundraisers."
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