Last month, nearly 200 employees from McDermott Construction, a contractor for Golden Pass LNG, were transported to various medical facilities after getting sick. A city spokesperson for Port Arthur said the workers had been provided food from Tex-Mex restaurant El Refu earlier that morning.
The restaurant announced Tuesday it was shutting down permanently due to “the recent situation that has impacted our team,” and that it’s business had been impacted “profoundly,” according to a social media post.
“We deeply regret any distress or illness experienced by those affected, and we want to extend our sincere apologies to our loyal patrons who have stood by us over the years,” the restaurant said in the post. “Thank you for the wonderful memories, the support, and the community we’ve shared.”
The restaurant did not return a request for comment.
Following the incident, the city said it would work with local medical facilities and the Texas Department of Health and Human Services to determine why the workers fell sick.
The city’s health department, the Jefferson County Public Health Department and the Texas Department of State Health Services did not respond to requests for comment.
