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UPDATE!!!
City Investigates Why KFC-Taco Bell Passed Initial Pest Inspection
Restaurant Passed Inspection Thursday, Failed Miserably Friday
NEW YORK -- There were questions Saturday about the New York Health Department’s response to a rodent infestation at a KFC-Taco Bell restaurant in Greenwich Village, NewsChannel 4’s Pei-Sze Cheng reported.
The health department said it was investigating why the restaurant passed an inspection on Thursday but failed miserably the very next day, Cheng reported.
A blue tarp blocked the interior as contractors made repairs inside. “They’re trying to plug up some of the holes. They’re trying to do the best maintenance they can to stop the problem,” said one contractor.
City health department officials said they’ve been receiving complaints for three weeks about rodents at this restaurant.
This past Thursday, a health inspector visited the restaurant and gave it a passing grade, according to Cheng.
But on Friday morning, after gymnastic rats were filmed turning the restaurant into their personal playground, the department inspected again and shut it down. This time, inspectors slapped the restaurant with 92 violation points (27 or under is a passing score). They said they “found evidence of rats, and holes in the floor and ceiling.”
Wilson Salas, the superintendent of an upscale apartment building adjacent to the restaurant told Cheng he was concerned that driving rats out of the Taco Bell would force them into other nearby buildings.
Exterminator Ron Charles said preventive rodent-proofing measures should be followed, especially in light of new construction around the city.
Referring to the restaurant, Charles told Cheng "with something that bad and the amount of rats that were active in that place, no pest control had been done.”
The parent company for Kentucky Fried Chicken and Taco Bell was back in damage-control mode Saturday after a NewsChannel 4 camera caught about a dozen rats running around the fast food restaurant.
A viewer had called the WNBC tipline (1-866-NEWS-CH4) with information about the rats.
Parent company Yum Brands, of Louisville, Ky., said the rodents are "completely unacceptable" and "an absolute violation" of company standards. The company said that the franchise owner "is actively addressing" the problem and that the restaurant will remain closed until the problem is resolved.
Friday's rat report came while the company was still smarting from an E. coli scare in late 2006.
The company said construction in the basement on Thursday appeared to have further stirred up the rodents.
The city Health Department has shuttered the restaurant, located at 6th Avenue and West 4th Street. It was not open for business when the rats were filmed.
"Today this establishment had serious unsanitary conditions. [There are] vermin throughout," said NYC health inspector Carol Feracho.
Health Department records list the franchise owner as ADF Fifth Operating Corporation. The owner couldn't be reached for comment, despite numerous phone calls.
Greenwich Village residents said they were disgusted to see the sheer number of rats but were not entirely surprised to see the jumbo critters running around, NewsChannel 4’s Pei-Sze Cheng reported.
"The whole neighborhood is infested. [We] always have a problem with them," said resident Geraldine Reres.
"Occasionally a restaurant has one rat, but this is ridiculous," added Andy Keidel.
According to workers at the tattoo parlor two doors down, the rats have always been there. This is just the first time they've been on television, Cheng said.
One area restaurant manager told Cheng that rodents are common in the Village because it's a busy place with a lot of garbage on the streets, and restaurants have to be careful not to leave any food out whatsoever.
Read the report from the Board of Health
The same restaurant has had problems with the Health Department before, having been cited in 2006, 2005 and 2004, according to NewsChannel 4's Adam Shapiro.
Just two months earlier, the restaurant had been cited with having "evidence of live mice" but since then, the Health Department Web site showed that the issue was resolved.
Rats have long been a problem in New York City, with such a dense population and such a large and readily available food supply for the rodents. They are frequently scampering through subway tunnels, rooting through trash, dashing across parks and burrowing into the walls of apartment buildings.
But it is rare to see so many rats congregating in one place in such public view.
The city Department of Health had inspectors at the site on Friday, said department spokeswoman Sara Markt. She said the restaurant had passed inspection in December, but a violation was issued to the restaurant owner about "evidence of rats" -- which meant only some droppings at the time.
Joel Cohen, who lives in the building next to the restaurant, had a more graphic view of the situation.
"I'm living over the place that is feeding the rats of New York City," said Cohen, who works in real estate. "This place is a disaster. They throw their rubbish in the doorways. It's loaded up with food in bags that are not tied, and the rats have eaten through the bags."
Yum Brands stock closed Thursday at $61.60 and opened slightly lower on Friday, at 60.40 cents. It was not clear whether the news had any effect on the stock price.
Last week, it was reported that Taco Bell sales had slumped after a widely publicized E. coli scare, but that international sales helped Yum Brands in the company's fourth quarter.
The E. coli outbreak late last year caused more than 70 Taco Bell customers to become ill.
Federal officials said in December that the most likely source of the illnesses was lettuce. Taco Bell took precautions by changing its suppliers of lettuce and cheese in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Delaware.
If you see a rat problem in New York City, you are urged to contact the rodent complaint department.
City Investigates Why KFC-Taco Bell Passed Initial Pest Inspection
Restaurant Passed Inspection Thursday, Failed Miserably Friday
NEW YORK -- There were questions Saturday about the New York Health Department’s response to a rodent infestation at a KFC-Taco Bell restaurant in Greenwich Village, NewsChannel 4’s Pei-Sze Cheng reported.
The health department said it was investigating why the restaurant passed an inspection on Thursday but failed miserably the very next day, Cheng reported.
A blue tarp blocked the interior as contractors made repairs inside. “They’re trying to plug up some of the holes. They’re trying to do the best maintenance they can to stop the problem,” said one contractor.
City health department officials said they’ve been receiving complaints for three weeks about rodents at this restaurant.
This past Thursday, a health inspector visited the restaurant and gave it a passing grade, according to Cheng.
But on Friday morning, after gymnastic rats were filmed turning the restaurant into their personal playground, the department inspected again and shut it down. This time, inspectors slapped the restaurant with 92 violation points (27 or under is a passing score). They said they “found evidence of rats, and holes in the floor and ceiling.”
Wilson Salas, the superintendent of an upscale apartment building adjacent to the restaurant told Cheng he was concerned that driving rats out of the Taco Bell would force them into other nearby buildings.
Exterminator Ron Charles said preventive rodent-proofing measures should be followed, especially in light of new construction around the city.
Referring to the restaurant, Charles told Cheng "with something that bad and the amount of rats that were active in that place, no pest control had been done.”
The parent company for Kentucky Fried Chicken and Taco Bell was back in damage-control mode Saturday after a NewsChannel 4 camera caught about a dozen rats running around the fast food restaurant.
A viewer had called the WNBC tipline (1-866-NEWS-CH4) with information about the rats.
Parent company Yum Brands, of Louisville, Ky., said the rodents are "completely unacceptable" and "an absolute violation" of company standards. The company said that the franchise owner "is actively addressing" the problem and that the restaurant will remain closed until the problem is resolved.
Friday's rat report came while the company was still smarting from an E. coli scare in late 2006.
The company said construction in the basement on Thursday appeared to have further stirred up the rodents.
The city Health Department has shuttered the restaurant, located at 6th Avenue and West 4th Street. It was not open for business when the rats were filmed.
"Today this establishment had serious unsanitary conditions. [There are] vermin throughout," said NYC health inspector Carol Feracho.
Health Department records list the franchise owner as ADF Fifth Operating Corporation. The owner couldn't be reached for comment, despite numerous phone calls.
Greenwich Village residents said they were disgusted to see the sheer number of rats but were not entirely surprised to see the jumbo critters running around, NewsChannel 4’s Pei-Sze Cheng reported.
"The whole neighborhood is infested. [We] always have a problem with them," said resident Geraldine Reres.
"Occasionally a restaurant has one rat, but this is ridiculous," added Andy Keidel.
According to workers at the tattoo parlor two doors down, the rats have always been there. This is just the first time they've been on television, Cheng said.
One area restaurant manager told Cheng that rodents are common in the Village because it's a busy place with a lot of garbage on the streets, and restaurants have to be careful not to leave any food out whatsoever.
Read the report from the Board of Health
The same restaurant has had problems with the Health Department before, having been cited in 2006, 2005 and 2004, according to NewsChannel 4's Adam Shapiro.
Just two months earlier, the restaurant had been cited with having "evidence of live mice" but since then, the Health Department Web site showed that the issue was resolved.
Rats have long been a problem in New York City, with such a dense population and such a large and readily available food supply for the rodents. They are frequently scampering through subway tunnels, rooting through trash, dashing across parks and burrowing into the walls of apartment buildings.
But it is rare to see so many rats congregating in one place in such public view.
The city Department of Health had inspectors at the site on Friday, said department spokeswoman Sara Markt. She said the restaurant had passed inspection in December, but a violation was issued to the restaurant owner about "evidence of rats" -- which meant only some droppings at the time.
Joel Cohen, who lives in the building next to the restaurant, had a more graphic view of the situation.
"I'm living over the place that is feeding the rats of New York City," said Cohen, who works in real estate. "This place is a disaster. They throw their rubbish in the doorways. It's loaded up with food in bags that are not tied, and the rats have eaten through the bags."
Yum Brands stock closed Thursday at $61.60 and opened slightly lower on Friday, at 60.40 cents. It was not clear whether the news had any effect on the stock price.
Last week, it was reported that Taco Bell sales had slumped after a widely publicized E. coli scare, but that international sales helped Yum Brands in the company's fourth quarter.
The E. coli outbreak late last year caused more than 70 Taco Bell customers to become ill.
Federal officials said in December that the most likely source of the illnesses was lettuce. Taco Bell took precautions by changing its suppliers of lettuce and cheese in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Delaware.
If you see a rat problem in New York City, you are urged to contact the rodent complaint department.
If so....say buh-bye to the business and 
I'm glad I never go to Taco Bell or JFK.
thats good one
