Poblacion Wantusawa

Makati’s Wantusawa came under fire in January after social-media buzz insinuated their customers got food poisoning from the establishment. The oyster bar responded with a statement pointing out their “dedication to customer satisfaction” and “social media bullying” amid their “efforts, laboratory tests, and health clearances”; they also mention taking “legal action against… purveyors of bullying and untruth.” Fast-forward to a couple of weeks later, it looks like Wantusawa has been ordered closed by the city government.

The Makati City local government orders Wantusawa Oyster Bar to close its doors:

A photo taken by a diner shows a closure order dated February 13, issued to the oyster bar by the City of Makati Business Permit Office. Take a look:

As of writing, Wantusawa has not made any statements regarding the closure on their social media pages. In a reply to an inquiry via Facebook Messenger on February 15, they stated that they are “temporarily closed for the moment.”

“We have been mandated by the Makati City Hall to await water and oyster testing before we can resume operations. As we wait for the results, we will be carrying out maintenance work and repairs to help improve the quality of service we provide,” said management in their reply.

Quick Recap: What Went Down?

In a Facebook post dated January 23, Facebook user Coco Eje compiled screenshots of negative reviews posted recently on Wantusawa’s Facebook page. The common denominator? The customers complaining about food poisoning in the past three weeks. The user also tagged the official Facebook pages of the Food and Drug Administration and Makati City local government.

“Got food poisoning a day after eating their baked oysters and will probably never eat from their establishment again,” reads one. “First and last meal yesterday was from Wantusawa… today, got [a] really bad case of diarrhea and vomiting,” reads another.

“Food is good but the aftermath was so traumatizing for my group… four out of seven of us experienced food poisoning the day after,” says yet another. There are more than 20 reviews all in all that’s mentioned in the Facebook post.