How to Report a Restaurant for Food Poisoning (and Work Out Which Meal Did It)
Food safety · Complaints · Updated 2026-07-22
Restaurant complaints go to your local or county environmental health department, not to the FDA and not to the restaurant chain. For meat, poultry, and processed egg products, call the USDA FSIS Meat and Poultry Hotline at 1-888-MPHotline (1-888-674-6854); for almost every other packaged food, contact the FDA Consumer Complaint Coordinator for your state. A complaint to environmental health is the one that can trigger an unannounced inspection of the kitchen.
Before you file, work out which meal actually did it. Most people name the last thing they ate, and most of the time that is the wrong meal. Onset time is the strongest clue you have, and it usually points somewhere else. This is a reporting guide, not medical advice: bloody diarrhea, a fever above 102F, signs of dehydration, diarrhea lasting more than three days, or any illness during pregnancy needs a doctor, not a complaint form.
How long after eating does food poisoning start?
Anywhere from 30 minutes to several weeks, depending on the organism. Preformed toxins act fastest because the poison is already in the food when you swallow it; bacteria that must multiply in your gut take longer; parasites and Listeria take longest. Use the window to narrow the suspect meals, then match the symptom pattern.
| Pathogen | Typical onset | Hallmark symptoms | Foods most often implicated |
|---|---|---|---|
| *Staphylococcus aureus* (preformed toxin) | 30 min to 8 hours (CDC); FDA gives 1 to 7 hours, mean 2 to 4 | Sudden violent vomiting, cramps, little or no fever | Sliced deli meats, sandwiches, custards, potato and egg salads handled after cooking |
| *Bacillus cereus*, emetic toxin | 30 min to 6 hours | Vomiting, nausea, minimal diarrhea | Cooked rice and pasta held warm or cooled slowly; fried rice |
| *Bacillus cereus*, diarrheal toxin | 6 to 15 hours | Watery diarrhea, cramps | Meats, stews, sauces, vegetable dishes |
| *Clostridium perfringens* | 6 to 24 hours (CDC); FDA gives about 16 hours | Cramps and watery diarrhea, vomiting and fever uncommon | Large-batch beef, poultry, gravies, buffet and catered trays held below 135F |
| Norovirus | 12 to 48 hours | Vomiting and diarrhea together, cramps, low fever, over in 1 to 3 days | Any food touched by an ill worker; leafy greens, shellfish, sandwiches |
| *Salmonella* | 6 hours to 6 days (most often 12 to 72 hours) | Diarrhea, fever, abdominal cramps | Poultry, eggs, raw produce, unpasteurized dairy, nuts and seeds |
| *Campylobacter* | 2 to 5 days | Diarrhea often bloody, fever, cramps | Undercooked poultry, unpasteurized milk, untreated water |
| Shiga toxin-producing *E. coli* (STEC) | 3 to 4 days typical; 1 to 10 days per CDC, 1 to 9 per FDA | Severe cramps, bloody diarrhea, usually little or no fever | Undercooked ground beef, leafy greens, raw sprouts, unpasteurized milk and juice |
| *Vibrio parahaemolyticus* and *V. vulnificus* | *V. parahaemolyticus* 4 to 90 hours, mean about 17; *V. vulnificus* gastroenteritis 12 hours to 21 days | Watery diarrhea, cramps; wound and bloodstream infection in high-risk people | Raw or undercooked oysters and other shellfish |
| *Cyclospora cayetanensis* | 7 to 10 days | Prolonged watery diarrhea, fatigue, appetite and weight loss, relapsing | Imported fresh produce: berries, basil, cilantro, snow peas, salad mixes |
| *Listeria monocytogenes* | Non-invasive gut form: hours to 3 days. Invasive form: 3 days to 3 months | Gut form is febrile gastroenteritis; invasive disease brings fever and muscle aches, and hits pregnancy, elders and the immunocompromised | Deli meats, soft cheeses, unpasteurized dairy, smoked fish, melon |
Working backwards: a concrete example
Say you woke at 7am Wednesday with fever, cramps, and non-bloody diarrhea. Your instinct is Tuesday's late dinner, eight hours earlier. But an eight-hour onset with fever fits almost nothing: Staphylococcus and emetic B. cereus hit that fast and present as vomiting without fever, and C. perfringens rarely causes fever. Fever plus diarrhea points at Salmonella, usual window 12 to 72 hours. Count back: 12 hours lands at Tuesday around 7pm, ahead of that late dinner, and 72 hours reaches Sunday morning. That is nearly three days of meals, and the late dinner sits at the very edge of the window rather than the middle of it. If someone who shared only one of those meals also got sick, that meal is your answer.
Who do I call about a dirty restaurant?
- Restaurants, food trucks, caterers, grocery delis: your city or county environmental health or public health department. These are the inspectors who hold the establishment's permit and can walk in unannounced.
- Meat, poultry, and processed egg products (including a suspect package you still have): USDA FSIS Meat and Poultry Hotline, 1-888-674-6854, or MPHotline@usda.gov.
- Everything else packaged, which is most of the food supply by the agencies' own division of labor: the FDA Consumer Complaint Coordinator for your state.
- A suspected outbreak (two or more unrelated households ill from one place): call the local health department directly instead of filing a web form. Speed matters, because leftovers and stool samples are the only way to confirm a pathogen.
| Jurisdiction | Agency that takes restaurant complaints |
|---|---|
| Florida (statewide) | FL Dept. of Business & Professional Regulation, Division of Hotels and Restaurants (DOH or FDACS for some categories) |
| New York City | NYC Dept. of Health and Mental Hygiene, via NYC 311 |
| Los Angeles County | LA County Dept. of Public Health, Environmental Health |
| Seattle | Public Health - Seattle & King County, Food Safety Program |
| San Jose | Santa Clara County Dept. of Environmental Health |
| San Diego County | County of San Diego Dept. of Environmental Health and Quality |
| Chicago | Chicago Dept. of Public Health, Food Protection, via Chicago 311 |
| New York State (outside NYC) | NYS Dept. of Health, or the county health department for that county |
| Pittsburgh | Allegheny County Health Department, Food Safety Program |
| Austin | Austin Public Health, Environmental Health Services Division, via Austin 311 |
| Bethesda / Montgomery County MD | Montgomery County Dept. of Health and Human Services, Licensure and Regulatory Services |
| Boston | Boston Inspectional Services Dept., Health Division, via BOS:311 |
| Wilmington, Delaware | Delaware Division of Public Health, Office of Food Protection |
| Detroit | Detroit Health Department, Environmental Health |
| Marin County | Marin County Environmental Health Services |
| Columbus | Columbus Public Health, Food Safety Program |
| Boulder County | Boulder County Public Health, Environmental Health |
| Minneapolis | Minneapolis Health Department, Environmental Health (delegated by MDH) |
| Meat, poultry, processed egg (federal) | USDA FSIS Meat and Poultry Hotline, 1-888-674-6854, MPHotline@usda.gov |
| All other foods (federal) | FDA Consumer Complaint Coordinator for your state |
Check the inspection record before you file. Sterling scores restaurants straight from the official health-inspection records published by each city or county, across 18 jurisdictions and 178,000+ restaurants, refreshed weekly. Tap any rating to see the inspection it came from, so you can tell the health department whether the violation you suspect is a first offense or a pattern. Download Sterling: Dine with Confidence on the App Store.
What to put in the complaint
- Name the establishment precisely: Permit name plus street address. Chains with several locations in one city get investigated at the wrong address constantly.
- Give the date, time, and every item eaten: Not just the dish you blame. Investigators compare item lists across complainants to find the common food, and a partial list breaks that comparison.
- State the exact onset time and symptoms: "Started vomiting at 11:40pm, no fever" is usable; "got sick that night" is not. Say whether diarrhea was bloody and whether you ran a fever.
- List who else ate with you, sick or not: The people who stayed well are as informative as the people who did not, because they eliminate shared dishes.
- Keep the leftovers and the receipt: Refrigerate any remaining food and keep the packaging. A testable sample is rare, and it is what turns a complaint into a documented finding.
- See a clinician and ask for a stool test: A lab-confirmed pathogen is reported to public health automatically and links your case to any cluster already open. That is medical care, which this guide is not.
Why filing is worth the ten minutes
A complaint is not a lawsuit and it does not need proof. It is a trigger. Health departments route foodborne illness complaints to an unannounced inspection, often within days, and that inspection lands in the same public record routine visits do. The restaurant does not learn who called. If the inspector finds cold-holding above 41F or improper cooling, the violation is written up as critical and the next diner who looks the place up sees it.
Watch the record afterward with Sterling
Complaint-driven inspections publish into the same official feeds Sterling pulls from, so the follow-up appears in the app exactly like a routine visit. Set a restaurant alert on the place you reported and Sterling tells you when a new inspection posts and how the score moved. Health filters do the reverse job going forward, hiding places with recent pest, allergen, or sanitation issues, and the Sterling Standard mark flags the roughly 16% of restaurants scoring 95+ with three or more recent inspections and zero critical violations in twelve months. Start with how to look up an inspection if you want the method first.
Frequently asked questions
How long after eating does food poisoning start?
Between 30 minutes and several months. Preformed toxins from *Staphylococcus aureus* and *Bacillus cereus* hit in 30 minutes to 6 or 8 hours, *Clostridium perfringens* in 6 to 24 hours, norovirus and *Salmonella* in roughly 12 to 72 hours, *Campylobacter* in 2 to 5 days, STEC typically in 3 to 4 days, and invasive *Listeria* anywhere from 3 days to 3 months. If your symptoms started more than 12 hours after eating, the last meal is probably not the cause.
Who do I call to report a restaurant for food poisoning?
Your local or county environmental health department, which holds the restaurant's permit and can inspect it unannounced. In many cities the fastest route is 311. For meat, poultry, or processed egg products call the USDA FSIS Meat and Poultry Hotline at 1-888-674-6854; for other packaged foods contact the FDA Consumer Complaint Coordinator for your state.
Can I report a restaurant anonymously?
Most health departments accept anonymous complaints, but they will investigate a named one more thoroughly because they can call you back for the meal and symptom detail that identifies the food. Your name is not disclosed to the restaurant. If you leave contact information, expect a follow-up call from an environmental health specialist.
Does reporting a restaurant actually do anything?
Yes. A foodborne illness complaint typically triggers an unannounced inspection, and anything the inspector writes up enters the public inspection record permanently. Repeat complaints against the same establishment escalate to reinspections, hearings, permit suspension, or closure depending on the jurisdiction. You will not usually be told the outcome, but the resulting inspection is public.