
Ten people, restaurant employees and customers among them, have been sickened with Salmonella in a cluster tied to Woods Hill Table, the farm-to-table restaurant on Commonwealth Avenue in West Concord, Massachusetts. Concord’s public health director began investigating on September 8, 2026, the restaurant closed on September 16, and as of September 17 no one was reported hospitalized. No food has been named, and officials say there is no ongoing risk to the public. If you ate there in early September and have had diarrhea, fever or cramps, this post is for you.
What is known about the Woods Hill Table Salmonella cluster.
Nearly everything public comes from The Concord Bridge, which obtained Public Health Director Melanie Dineen’s September 15 memo to the Board of Health and followed up on September 17. The investigation began September 8. An initial inspection found no priority violations, and Dineen at first judged the risk to the public minimal. Testing over the following week turned up more cases, including one person who carried the bacteria without symptoms. State epidemiologists contacted every affected patron individually. The restaurant closed September 16 and was still closed the next day. Employees must produce two negative stool tests before they can return to work. Owner Kristin Canty said the restaurant is cooperating, and Dineen said management is doing everything it is supposed to do.
| Item | Detail |
| Restaurant | Woods Hill Table, Commonwealth Avenue, West Concord, MA |
| Pathogen | Salmonella, serotype not yet released |
| Sick | 10, employees and customers |
| Hospitalized | None reported as of September 17, 2026 |
| Investigation began | September 8, 2026 |
| Closed | September 16, 2026, still closed September 17 |
| Food implicated | None named |
| Public risk | No ongoing risk to the general public, per Concord Public Health |
| Staff return | Two negative tests required |
Source: The Concord Bridge, September 17, 2026, reporting Concord Public Health Director Melanie Dineen’s September 15 memo and September 17 statements. Compiled September 18, 2026.
Investigators have not said which food, which serotype, or when people ate.
The questions that matter most to someone who ate at Woods Hill Table have not been answered publicly. Officials have not said which Salmonella serotype was found, which dates the sick people ate there, whether employees or customers got sick first, whether the isolates have been genetically sequenced and compared with cases elsewhere, or what the environmental and food samples showed. Marler Blog laid out those gaps on September 17. Until they are filled, the practical assumption for anyone who ate there in the first two weeks of September is that they may have been exposed.
Salmonella symptoms start six hours to six days after eating, and most people are sick for four to seven days.
CDC says symptoms usually begin 6 hours to 6 days after infection and last 4 to 7 days. The usual picture is watery diarrhea, which may contain blood or mucus, stomach cramps that can be severe, and fever, sometimes with headache, nausea, vomiting and loss of appetite. Most people recover without antibiotics. Some do not: the bacteria can spread from the intestines into the blood, bones, joints or brain, and a small share of people develop reactive arthritis, with joint pain that can last for months, or irritable bowel syndrome that persists after the infection is gone. Young children, adults over 65, pregnant women and people with weakened immune systems are the most likely to be hospitalized.
See a doctor if diarrhea lasts more than two days, is bloody, or comes with a fever over 102.
CDC’s rule is simple. Call a doctor for diarrhea or vomiting lasting more than two days, blood in the stool, a fever higher than 102°F, or signs of dehydration such as little urination, dry mouth and dizziness on standing. Tell the doctor you ate at Woods Hill Table and ask for a stool culture. A positive culture is what links a case to the cluster, and it is the only way public health will ever count you. It is also the evidence that matters if you later need to prove where the infection came from.
If you ate at Woods Hill Table in September, tell Concord Public Health.
Concord’s Public Health Division asks anyone who ate at the restaurant and became ill to contact it, and the Board of Health posts its meeting records online. Reporting matters even if you have recovered, because the count is what tells investigators how large this really is, and the interviews are what narrow the search for a food. Ten cases at one restaurant, with employees among them, is a cluster that deserves an answer, and the answer will come faster if every sick person is on the list.
Three questions people are asking.
Is Woods Hill Table in Concord closed because of Salmonella? Yes. The restaurant closed September 16, 2026, while Concord Public Health and state epidemiologists investigate a Salmonella cluster of ten people, employees and customers among them, and it remained closed on September 17.
How long after eating at a restaurant do Salmonella symptoms start? Usually 6 hours to 6 days, and illness usually lasts 4 to 7 days. Diarrhea lasting more than two days, bloody stool or a fever over 102°F means it is time to see a doctor and ask for a stool test.
Can I get tested for Salmonella if I ate at Woods Hill Table? Yes. Ask your doctor for a stool culture and mention the restaurant. If the culture is positive, the state lab can compare it with the other cases in the cluster, and you should report your illness to the Concord Public Health Division.
Salmonella
Salmonella is a group of bacteria behind one of the most common, and most deadly, foodborne infections in the United States, and it is the leading cause of foodborne hospitalizations and deaths in the country. Symptoms usually appear 6 hours to 6 days after eating contaminated food and include diarrhea, fever and stomach cramps lasting four to seven days. Some people go on to develop reactive arthritis or irritable bowel syndrome that lasts long after the infection is over.
Marler Clark, The Food Safety Law Firm, is the nation’s leading law firm representing victims of Salmonellaoutbreaks. The Salmonella attorneys of Marler Clark have represented thousands of victims of Salmonella and other foodborne illness outbreaks and have recovered over $850 million for clients. Marler Clark is the only law firm in the nation with a practice focused exclusively on foodborne illness litigation. Our Salmonellalawyers have litigated Salmonella cases stemming from outbreaks traced to poultry, eggs, ground beef, produce, peanut butter, flour and pet food, against defendants that include some of the largest food companies in the country. The firm represented victims of the Peanut Corporation of America outbreak, whose owner was criminally convicted and sentenced to twenty-eight years in prison, and it continues to press USDA to declare Salmonella an adulterant in raw chicken.
If you or a family member became ill with a Salmonella infection, including reactive arthritis or irritable bowel syndrome, after consuming food and you are interested in pursuing a legal claim, contact the Marler Clark Salmonella attorneys for a free case evaluation at 1-800-884-9840.
FAQ
What is Salmonella? Salmonella is a group of bacteria that live in the intestines of animals and people and spread to food through contaminated water, animal products and food handlers. Infection is called salmonellosis.
What foods cause Salmonella outbreaks? Poultry, eggs, ground beef, produce such as sprouts, melons, tomatoes and peppers, peanut butter, flour, spices and even pet food have all caused outbreaks.
Can Salmonella cause long-term problems? Yes. Some people develop reactive arthritis, with joint pain that lasts months or years, or irritable bowel syndrome. In severe cases the bacteria spread to the bloodstream, bones, joints or brain.
Who is most at risk? Children under five, adults over 65, pregnant women and people with weakened immune systems are the most likely to be hospitalized.
Can I sue if I got sick from Salmonella? Yes. If your infection is confirmed by a stool culture and linked to a contaminated product or a recognized outbreak, you may have a claim against the businesses that made, served or sold the food. Marler Clark offers a free case evaluation.
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