A bride and groom – plus more than a quarter of their guests – were allegedly sickened by tainted charcuterie, croquettes and a “seasonal” dessert served at the trendy Brooklyn boutique hotel hosting their wedding reception, according to a state lawsuit reviewed by The Independent. In his complaint, attorney Michael Ahern says he and his wife contracted norovirus during the November 30, 2024, event, thanks to food contaminated by a kitchen staffer at The Box House Hotel who was purportedly suffering from the highly contagious gastrointestinal bug. The couple, who paid The Box House some $30,000 to cater their big day, endured “repeated episodes of vomiting and diarrhea,” in addition to “chills, abdominal cramps, and fatigue,” and were bedridden for “several days” afterward, the complaint states.
Stool samples submitted to local authorities by the Aherns both tested positive for norovirus. More than 30 of the 112 guests who attended the reception also fell ill with norovirus-type symptoms, according to the complaint. A subsequent New York City Department of Health investigation found that all of them had eaten three specific menu items at the event: prosciutto, macaroni-and-cheese croquettes, and a “seasonal crumble” dessert.
The report, which was filed as an exhibit in court, identified “multiple deficiencies in [the hotel restaurant’s] food-safety and sanitation practices,” such as not having any hand soap in the kitchen. Norovirus is usually transmitted through the “fecal-oral route,” according to the American Medical Association. They said the hotel’s restaurant scored an A on its next inspection, and retains that rating today.
They also argued that norovirus was “everywhere in New York that winter,” and that restaurants, hotels, schools and offices “across the five boroughs were all dealing with it.” “A wedding weekend runs over several days and several venues, with food from more than one kitchen, and people moving through a city where the virus was already widespread,” the spokesperson said. Further, the client brought in their own food from after-party pizzas as well as cakes and other items for their guests to enjoy for their wedding.” The one employee who tested positive for norovirus had not reported being sick, and had not prepared any of the three dishes in question, according to the Health Department report, which conceded that “specific food vehicles as a mode of transmission remain undetermined for this outbreak.” The spokesperson said the hotel takes this issue “very seriously,” and that they have “made changes because of it.” At the same time, they said that the property has hosted nearly 1,000 weddings and events over the past 15 years, had never had an outbreak before, and has not had one since. When the Aherns booked their reception at The Box House, a Greenpoint loft-style property where rooms hover in the $450 range and can reach into the thousands for the penthouse suite, the hotel’s on-site restaurant, the Brooklyn Lantern, was to provide all food and drink for the Saturday night event, according to their complaint, which was filed Monday in Manhattan Supreme Court.
When it was over, it says the two spent the night at The Box House, then ate breakfast the next morning at the Brooklyn Lantern and headed home to Manhattan. Plaintiff missed work due to his illness that day. Plaintiff’s symptoms continued for several days.” Over the next day or two, 31 others who were at the reception developed “acute gastrointestinal symptoms,” according to the complaint.
At the same time, the New York City Department of Health dispatched an inspector to the Brooklyn Lantern for an environmental review, and distributed stool sample kits to six food handlers who had worked the wedding reception. The city’s Bureau of Communicable Disease contacted attendees for telephone interviews to try and narrow down the cause, the complaint stated. In September 2025, the Department of Health issued its findings.
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