A lawyer for diners who fell ill at The Copa restaurant has said the matter should be settled without court action, with individual damage claims of up to $5000 expected.
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Slater & Gordon Canberra group practice leader Gerard Rees welcomed Thursday's public apology from the Dickson restaurant's owners, and called for a speedy compensation process for more than 20 affected clients.
"We commend the restaurant owners for their acknowledgment of their responsibility for what occurred," he said.
"We trust that this will flow through to their insurers.
"It is our wish more than anything that our clients will be saved from the trauma of a protracted legal process."
Mr Rees said Slater & Gordon had told the law firm representing the restaurant's insurer they were interested in a resolution "on an unlitigated basis" at the appropriate time.
"We do not believe a class action in [these] circumstances is warranted," he said.
"Each client's circumstances must be assessed on an individual basis.
"As a general rule [though], I would have thought someone suffering symptoms in a period of two to seven days would make a claim for general damages for pain suffering of up to $5000, plus medical expenses and lost wages," he said.
There were 140 diners of the Brazilian churrasco restaurant who fell ill and 15 admitted to hospital in the last fortnight, with homemade mayonnaise, made using raw eggs, found to contain salmonella. Mr Rees said he was aware of clients still suffering. "There are still people who are having symptoms as a result," he said.
The Copa released its first apology on Thursday: "It is with sincere compassion and genuine sorrow that we apologize to all the people and their families affected by the recent tragic sequence of events," a statement said.
"We hope this apology is received to be genuine and in good faith.
''We have removed all products containing raw eggs from our menu to ensure an outbreak of this kind is never repeated at The Copa."
Mr Rees said his firm believed it was in everybody's interest to settle without court proceedings.
"This is nothing personal to the restaurant - obviously we wish them the best for the future.
"They have duties to the patrons, and on this occasion we believe they have breached their duty."
After closing voluntarily last week, The Copa opened for business last Saturday.
There was no comment before deadline from Aulich Civil Law, which acts on behalf of more than 75 diners who fell ill after eating at the restaurant.
