One customer said they had the "worst food poisoning symptoms" they had "ever experienced"
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NEED TO KNOW
- Public health officials are investigating the source of a potential norovirus outbreak in New Zealand
- Fifteen customers reported having symptoms after dining at Valentines in Manukau, Auckland, on June 12, though inspections found no food safety issues, officials told the New Zealand Herald
- Norovirus is highly contagious and spreads through close contact or contaminated food surfaces, according to the Cleveland Clinic
Public health officials are investigating the source of a potential norovirus outbreak after multiple customers reported falling sick after visiting a buffet restaurant in New Zealand.
Fifteen people reported having symptoms after dining at an Auckland restaurant on Friday, June 12, according to the country's National Public Health Service, per New Zealand Herald. Auckland Council confirmed to the outlet that the restaurant was Valentines in Manukau, Auckland.
“Public health has been notified of a gastroenteritis outbreak linked to an Auckland restaurant,” Public Health Service (northern region) medical officer of health Dr. Li-Wern Yim told the outlet. “To date, 15 people have reported symptoms, all of whom visited the restaurant on June 12, 2026. The cause of the illness has been identified as norovirus.”
Public health is continuing to investigate the potential source of the outbreak, Dr. Yim added.
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Over a week later, several alleged customers have spoken about their symptoms in Google reviews.
One claimed: “My family and I went to Valentines in Manukau on Friday night and 24 hours later we all started violently throwing up, etc. Worst food poisoning symptoms I have ever experienced.”
They added: “We are all from different households and all our symptoms started at the same time matching that of salmonella, e.coli and campylobacter.”
Another wrote: “I'd give a zero if I could. My family dined here on the evening of Friday 12th June. My son presented symptoms first on the Sunday with vomiting, my partner had a whole night (literally) Tuesday, vomiting and diarrhea.”
“I called Health NZ who advised others had lodged complaints for the same night. Called everyone else who dined with us to see if anyone else was sick, another 4 had diarrhea and vomiting,” they claimed.
Norovirus is described as a “common and very contagious virus” by the Cleveland Clinic. “Norovirus spreads easily through close contact or on contaminated food or surfaces. The illness runs its course in a few days.”
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The clinic states that symptoms of the illness include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, stomach pain, headache, fever and body aches. They usually appear 12 to 48 hours after exposure to the virus and last one to three days.
Veronica Lee-Thompson, Auckland Council manager of specialist operations licensing and compliance, said they were notified by Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) on June 17 about a “suspected gastrointestinal outbreak potentially linked to dining at Valentines in Manukau on June 12," per the NZ Herald.
A day later, on June 18, the council's food safety officers and the MPI went to Valentines in Manukau, but "no food safety issues" were found during the visit. The buffet restaurant's food safety grade was therefore not affected, Lee-Thompson told the NZ Herald.
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The MPI is continuing to investigate the cause of the potential outbreak.
Valentines told the NZ Herald they were told about the potential outbreak by the National Public Health Service and that they complied with authorities during their visit on June 18 to assess “food processes and cleanliness”.
“They were quite satisfied after conducting the visit. We submitted all necessary information and documents requested by them," the restaurant said in a statement, per the outlet.
The restaurant also said that staff, who they say eat the buffet food on their breaks, did not report any illness. It said it had received two complaints since the outbreak.
“We served more than 1000 customers since June 12 and received no complaints of food poisoning," the restaurant continued, per its statement. “Food quality and customer experience is our top-most priority. We have proper procedures for refunds and compensations for customers with complaints, which we are following. Right now we are just waiting for the report from authorities regarding the source of this virus.”
The restaurant has been responding to customers' reviews on Google, claiming that the National Health Service took samples from sick customers and “found out its noravirus, not food poisoning.”
Valentines said in response to the reviews: “They have checked the restaurant on 18/6/2026 (surprise visit) and found no fault in food handling and preparation and cleaning process. They have not found the source of this virus yet. We [are] still waiting for their response. This virus can be spread from person to person and [through] infectious water.”
It claimed: “Since 12/6/2026 till today 24/6/2026, we have served over 1500 customers and got no complaints. We are still working with authorities on this issue.”
New Zealand Food Safety acting deputy director-general Mike Inglis told the NZ Herald they had received “reports of illness from people that dined at an Auckland food business.” "We are working with the business, Auckland Council and the National Public Health Service to determine the source and put in place any corrective actions as needed,” Inglis added.
Valentines in Manukau, the National Public Health Service and the MPI were contacted for comment by PEOPLE, but did not immediately respond.
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