A Chicago steakhouse location, a sister establishment to the one where a Marine Corps veteran allegedly suffered severe illness from contaminated oysters, has a documented history of food safety violations, including issues with food temperature control and shellfish handling. Records from the Chicago Department of Public Health show that Gibsons Bar & Steakhouse's downtown Chicago franchise has faced scrutiny over its adherence to food safety codes since 2010.
Of the 24 inspections and reinspections conducted at the Chicago branch since 2010, the restaurant either failed or narrowly passed more than a third of them. Some of these inspections were prompted by customer complaints. Critical violations have included the improper storage of "potentially hazardous food" at unsafe temperatures. In one instance in December 2013, a food preparation cooler was found to be storing items like blue cheese crumbles and other cheeses at 60 degrees Fahrenheit, significantly above the health department's maximum allowable temperature of 40 degrees. Hamburgers were recorded at 51.9 degrees and steaks at 54.6 degrees Fahrenheit during the same inspection.
More recently, in March 2023, the restaurant passed with conditions after an inspector observed a food server handling a baguette with bare hands and noted that containers of oysters lacked proper identification tags, leading to the discard of four pounds of shellfish. In December 2021, the establishment was cited for milk stored at 58.5 degrees Fahrenheit and another cooler holding Time Temperature Control for Safety (TCS) foods, including shellfish, at 62.4 degrees Fahrenheit. A dishwasher also failed to reach the required 180 degrees for proper sterilization during that inspection.
These findings come as the fiancée of Joe Belgio, a 44-year-old Marine veteran and firefighter, filed a lawsuit against Gibsons and two seafood suppliers. The lawsuit alleges that Belgio contracted Enteropathogenic E. coli (EPEC) and Plesiomonas shigelloides from oysters consumed at the Gibsons Oak Brook location in 2025. According to his legal team, Belgio went into cardiac arrest three days after the meal, leading to an anoxic brain injury and leaving him requiring lifelong, around-the-clock care. His fiancée, Melanie Stayer, described the meal as a celebration of life for their five-month-old daughter.
A spokesperson for Gibsons stated that the company takes food safety extremely seriously and is confident that a thorough legal process will show no evidence that their establishment caused Belgio's condition. The spokesperson added that there have been no other reported cases of illness linked to the restaurant. The Oak Brook location, distinct from the Chicago franchise with the inspection history, reportedly has a clean record with the Chicago Department of Public Health. The lawsuit is ongoing, with Belgio's family seeking damages for his severe and permanent injuries.