Last Updated on July 18, 2026 12:39 pm
Two Boone restaurants — Blue Ridge Diner and Makoto's Japanese Steak House & Sushi Bar — have pulled iceberg lettuce from their menus after being notified by food suppliers of a contamination concern tied to a major national outbreak of Cyclospora infections.
Blue Ridge Diner posted a precaution alert on Facebook Saturday morning, saying it had received a call from a food supplier about the lettuce. “Ours has been pulled and disposed of. We will not have lettuce until further notice,” the restaurant wrote. The diner added that customers who ate their lettuce in the past few days are okay, saying the concern applies only to current and future supply until the situation is resolved.
Makoto's Japanese Steak House & Sushi Bar also posted Saturday that US Foodservice Quality Assurance had notified them of a recall due to potential Cyclospora contamination. As a result, the restaurant said it is temporarily unable to serve salads with entrees and orders. Makoto's is offering a $2 discount per entrée that normally includes a salad.
Neither restaurant is part of the confirmed outbreak investigation. Both appear to be acting on precautionary notifications from their food distributors in response to a broader national supply chain recall.
The national outbreak is significant. The CDC and FDA are jointly investigating a multistate Cyclospora outbreak linked to shredded iceberg lettuce served at Taco Bell locations in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, and West Virginia. As of July 15, 1,644 laboratory-confirmed cases have been reported, with 94 hospitalizations. No deaths have been reported. An additional 5,100 illnesses reported to state and local health departments remain under review, meaning the true number affected is likely far higher.
On July 17, produce supplier Taylor Farms de Mexico announced a voluntary removal of all iceberg lettuce sourced from central Mexico from the U.S. market and said it would initiate a formal recall. The FDA's traceback investigation identified Taylor Farms de Mexico as the supplier of shredded iceberg lettuce used at the Taco Bell locations where confirmed cases ate.
Cyclospora is a microscopic parasite that causes an intestinal illness called cyclosporiasis. It is spread through food or water contaminated with feces and cannot be spread directly from person to person. Symptoms typically begin about a week after exposure and include watery diarrhea, frequent bowel movements, loss of appetite, weight loss, stomach cramps, bloating, nausea, and fatigue. The illness is treatable with antibiotics but requires a specific laboratory test not included in a standard stool panel.
Cyclospora is not killed by standard washing. Consumers who have recently eaten shredded iceberg lettuce and develop symptoms are encouraged to contact their healthcare provider and specifically mention possible Cyclospora exposure.
For the latest information, visit cdc.gov or fda.gov.
