Hipster Gold Coast cafe faces mass lawsuit after putting 22 customers in hospital with salmonella poisoning from Eggs Benedict

A cafe that gave more than 40 diners salmonella poising after serving contaminated eggs is now facing a mass lawsuit from the victims.

Grocer and Grind cafe, on the Gold Coast was last week ordered by a judge to pay more than $100,000 in penalties.

The owner Taletha March pleaded guilty to two charges of selling unsafe food in the Southport Magistrates Court after causing a mass salmonella outbreak in March last year.

Grocer and Grind cafe (pictured) pleaded guilty to two charges of selling unsafe food in the Southport Magistrates Court after causing a mass salmonella outbreak

Stevie-Lee MacCallum (pictured) , 21, spent nine days in hospital after eating at the cafe and claimed it was the sickest she had ever been.

HOW YOU CAN GET SALMONELLA FROM EGGS

Chickens can carry bacteria in their body and pass Salmonella on to the eggs while it is forming in the ovaries. Chickens can also pass bacteria on to the eggshell. Chickens can have Salmonella without being sick themselves.

National litigation firm Shine Lawyers is now acting for 18 customers who are separately suing the cafe for damages.

‘We are pursuing legal action on behalf of a large number of people who became ill after dining at the cafe,’ James Hickman from Shine Lawyers confirmed.

He said the victims ages ranged from 20 to 55. Stevie-Lee MacCallum, 21, spent nine days in hospital after eating at the cafe and claimed it was the sickest she had ever been.

Forty-four people were affected, thirty tested positive for salmonella and twenty-two were hospitalised with serious symptoms including vomiting, stomach pains, fever, chills and diarrhoea, the Courier Mail reported.

The Gold Coast Hospital reportedly had to open a special wing specifically to treat Grocer and Grind’s patients following the outbreak.

The cafe was issued an official warning relating to poor hygiene after it was found they had been using using a tea towel to drain moisture from the eggs used to make hollandaise sauce for the popular breakfast dish – which cost just over $20.

The Eggs Benedict served at the Grocer and Grind cafe in Queensland

The court ordered Grocer and Grind improve its food handling practices, fined the cafe $70,000, said Ms March would have to foot the $27,000 bill for a salmonella report.

Ms March’s lawyer said she had spent a further $30,000 to ensure the cafe met health standards, according to the Courier Mail.

The court heard business at the cafe had suffered since news of the outbreak which resulted in a $135,000 drop in profits from last financial year.

Ms March personally visited many of the patients affected in hospital, which included her former food safety officer who is also the head chef.

National litigation firm Shine Lawyers is now acting for 18 customers who are separately suing for damages after eating food from the cafe (pictured)