SHELTON, CT — A Shelton restaurant offered an apology and a free meal to customers after a dry ice explosion disrupted dinner service Saturday night.
In a Facebook post that night, Owner Larry Wang said the incident occurred at The Red Lotus restaurant on Bridgeport Avenue.
"Tonight there was an incident at Red Lotus when our sushi chefs were using dry ice for a special sushi display," the restaurant's post reads. "The dry ice exploded in the plastic container and some of our patrons were startled and unfortunately interrupted their tranquil meal. Luckily no one was hurt."
According to Wang, the explosion occurred at the restaurant's sushi bar where a chef was putting together a display with dry ice, which is held in a container that is supposed to be vented.
The gas built up after the vent for the dry ice container was not opened up, which caused the container to explode, Wang said.
Wang emphasized nobody was hurt by the explosion but noted it was "shocking" for customers inside the restaurant.
"People don't expect to have a dry ice explosion at the sushi bar in the middle of service," Wang said.
The restaurant's post noted 911 was called and "everyone that may have needed to be checked out was examined on site for any injuries."
Wang said the restaurant was able to continue dinner service after the explosion.
In response to the incident, Wang said the restaurant gave out gift certificates to customers who had their meals disrupted by the explosion.
He also let anyone who spoke to him about the incident know they could enjoy a free meal next time they came back to the restaurant, Wang said.
The restaurant's post also apologized to customers "if your dinner ended with the wrong kind of bang" and invited them to dine at The Red Lotus again.
The owners also thanked customers "who wished us well online and privately. Your kind words of encouragement are the winds beneath our wings. Thank you!"
Wang noted the restaurant places "100 percent emphasis" on making sure diners have a good experience when they come to his restaurant.
"We're one of the oldest restaurants here in Shelton...we're known for customer service," Wang said.
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According to the restaurant's website, The Red Lotus is owned by Wang and and his wife, Nia Chen, where they have been serving the Shelton community for nearly 13 years.
"Our restaurant is the true definition of Asian fusion, showcasing everything from a very discerning Japanese Omakase sushi to renowned Asian masterpieces," the website reads.
Wang said the restaurant aims to be a place of unity and restoration for customers.
"We serve faith, hope and love here. This is a different kind of restaurant," Wang said. "This is a mom and pop independent. We're not a big corporate franchise or anything like that. We're part of the community here, we've been part of the community for 13 years, and we pride ourselves on not having dry ice explosions."
He also noted the restaurant was "a place of faith, of love, of kindness and inclusion," and his team was very happy to continue to serve customers after more than a decade in Shelton.
"When you serve love and kindness," Wang said, "people feel it."
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