Employee caught on camera handling food outside; restaurant owner says it's a misunderstanding

A local woman is defending her restaurant after one of her employees was caught on video handling the food outside.

The video has been seen almost 80,000 times. The restaurant owner said it’s a misunderstanding.

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It’s a sight that’s not appetizing. There’s video that appears to show an employee outside Wasabi Sushi in Kingsland, tossing food around.

“There were vultures five feet away eating rotten fish,” said Kate Fitzke who works nearby and admits she took the video.

“The whole entire situation to me was just uncomfortable and gross,” she said.

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After that video made its way around social media, an employee posted a video and said they’ve handled the situation. The video shows the manager and an employee throwing it out.

Action News Jax stopped by the restaurant to see what the manager had to say about the first video.

She told us it was a misunderstanding.

“They thought it is rice, but it’s not rice,” said Coco Dong, the manager.

Dong said it was tempura batter in the video, and one of her employees had burned it – she was waiting for it to cool before tossing it out.

“Because it’s too greasy and hot if they put it in the dumpster, and the cardboard, it’s going to burn,” she said.

Dong said she has been in business for 16 years, and has never prepared food outside. Action News Jax searched the Georgia Agency that inspects restaurants and found on the last three inspection reports, it received a B or better.

As for Fitzke, she said this used to be her favorite place.

“I love that place. My boyfriend and my first date was there. We go there every week,” she said.

But she said not anymore.

“I will not,” she said.

Action News Jax did ask to speak to the employee in the video, but the manager told us she felt too bad about the situation and is too upset to talk. Dong blamed herself in part, and she is going to do a better job of training her employees.

Cox Media Group