Illness toll from Bob Chinn's rises to 97

Ninety-seven people have been confirmed to have a gastrointestinal illness after eating at Bob Chinn's Crab House in Wheeling, a Cook County Department of Public Health official confirmed this afternoon.

The numbers are likely to go up even more because of the popularity of the restaurant and the volume of people that go through it, health department spokeswoman Amy Poore said.

“We don't have any kind of confirmation about what the gastrointestinal illness is,” Poore added.

Chinn's reopened to serve dinner Wednesday evening after the health scare forced the eatery to shut down Tuesday afternoon.

Restaurant general manager Deno Roumanidakis said he closed the eatery voluntarily after receiving calls Monday from a couple of patrons complaining they felt ill after eating at the restaurant, 393 S. Milwaukee Ave.

It's the first time in 30 years the restaurant has closed due to illnesses.

Poore said the agency hasn't ruled out food-borne illnesses.

Health officials are awaiting laboratory test results, which may yet take a couple of days, she said.

Anyone who has recently eaten at the restaurant and is experiencing gastrointestinal illness is asked to call (708) 633-8030.