17 people report getting sick after eating at golf course

The Kane County Health Department is investigating reports of possible food poisoning among people who ate at the Grumpy Goat Tavern in Elgin, officials said.

Seventeen people have reported suffering from "gastrointestinal disorders" after eating at the restaurant at The Highlands of Elgin golf course Saturday, as part of a golf outing, health department spokesman Tom Schlueter said. None were hospitalized "to my knowledge," he said.

"There's a possible food-borne outbreak in Elgin, and we're doing what we call 'food investigation,' and finding out what people ate and when they ate, and if they feel sick or if they're not feeling sick," he said.

Grumpy Goat Tavern owner Greg Shannon said he was aware of the situation. "The health department is handling everything - both the city's health department and the Kane County Health Department," he said. Shannon also owns Elgin Public House in downtown Elgin.

Kristine Rogowski, the city's director of communications, said the city's health department received a call Tuesday from a man reporting he and four others who were part of a golf outing Saturday developed flu-like symptoms after eating at the Grumpy Goat's buffet. The restaurant opened in April.

As with all such reports, the city referred the complaint to the Kane County Health Department, Rogowski said.

The city's health department also inspected the restaurant - including refrigerators, freezers, hot-holding units, the dishwasher, sinks and cleaning solution - and found everything was sanitized and functioning properly, Rogowski said.

No leftover food from Saturday's buffet was available for testing, she said. "At this time, there is no confirmation that the food at the buffet was the cause of the illness."

The investigation could take a few more days or up to a couple of months, Schlueter said. "It's possible we'll never find out what caused it. That's happened before," he said.