Downtown Sacramento restaurant temporarily closed after employee exposed to COVID-19

The Melting Pot is temporarily closing its downtown Sacramento restaurant after discovering an employee may have been exposed to the coronavirus off the job.

No employees have tested positive for COVID-19, the deadly respiratory disease caused by the coronavirus, according to a Facebook post. The fondue restaurant at 814 15th St. reopened for dine-in service on June 1 from 4-9 p.m. each night with a maximum of six people per table.

“The Melting Pot of Sacramento will be voluntarily closing this evening after learning that an employee has potentially been exposed to COVID-19 outside of the restaurant. At this time we do not have any employees with a positive COVID-19 result,” the post read. “However, out of an abundance of caution for both our guests and team members we will be disinfecting and deep cleaning the restaurant in accordance with CDC guidelines. We will post further updates once test results and a reopening date are known.”

Headquartered in Tampa, Florida, the Melting Pot has 100 locations across North America but only four in California. Customers choose types of melted cheese or chocolate in which they’ll dip fruit or bread, or cook their own entrees in bowls of the restaurant’s signature sauces.

Another Sacramento restaurant and bar, the Zebra Club, temporarily closed Tuesday following a customer’s positive COVID-19 test. A Panda Express in Lincoln also temporarily closed earlier this month after four employees tested positive.

More than 190,000 Californians have tested positive for COVID-19 as of Wednesday and 5,632 have died. A Sacramento Bee analysis shows the statewide positive test rate has increased over the time, meaning a recent spike in total case numbers isn’t entirely due to more testing.

This story was originally published June 24, 2020 at 5:32 PM.