SeaWorld San Diego restaurants briefly closed for health code violations

SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — Multiple restaurants at SeaWorld San Diego were forced to shut down by county health officials over the weekend after a routine inspection uncovered apparently unsafe conditions.

The Dine with Orcas experience, Explorer’s Café and Beer Bar, a pre-packaged retail market, and the Chicken Snack Shack, formerly called “Big Bird Bistro,” were all subjected to closures over the weekend, according to county food facility inspection records. All have since been reopened.

Each of the locations closed by officials with the county Department of Environmental Health had a noted violation for a vermin infestation, but no additional details were available about what exactly was observed during the inspection.

One additional dining option, Shipwreck Reef Café, similarly had a minor vermin violation listed in addition to other issues, leading to a “B” health score during an inspection on Thursday. A follow-up inspection found these issues had been rectified and the “A” grade was restored.

At least one other eatery at SeaWorld, the Cotton Candy Factory, was also listed as “closed” in county food facility inspection records, although it was noted it was self-imposed. As of Monday, it does not appear to have been reopened.

FOX 5/KUSI has reached out to SeaWorld San Diego on the health code violations and is awaiting a response as of Monday morning.

The closures, which were first mentioned in a Reddit post , frustrated parkgoers over the weekend who said they purchased SeaWorld’s $60 “All Day Dining” deal. The package allows visitors to patron a participating park restaurant once every 90 minutes for an entrée and a drink.

Two out of the five locations listed on the park’s website as dining options for those who purchased an “All Day Dining” pass can eat at were closed by county health officials over the weekend.

Reddit users claimed these closures contributed to longer lines at the restaurants that remained open. Several other users also said they attempted to get a refund for the dining pass due to closures, but were not able to.

“Be advised! At least 3 of the Sea World San Diego restaurants are closed, and if you bought all day dining they won’t refund it. Lines are crazy long at the open place,” the Reddit user who first posted about the closures wrote.

A photo of the Department of Environmental Health notice at the Chicken Snack Shack was also shared in the post.

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