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Rats Found In Second NYC Restaurant
Rats Found In Second NYC Restaurant
NEW YORK -- Rats have been found in another New York City restaurant.
Video shot by NewsChannel 4 on Tuesday night showed at least two rats in the kitchen of Midtown's Au Bon Pain cafe.
The Boston-based bakery/café, located at 600 3rd Ave (map), was last inspected on Aug. 16 and was cited for only 13 points, well below the 28 points necessary to fail the inspection. It was initially cited for "evidence of flying insects or live flying insects present" and "cold food held above 41°F (smoked fish above 38°F) except during necessary preparation."
Newchannel 4's Adam Shapiro spoke with representives from Au Bon Pain's corporate headquarters Wednesday morning. The Au Bon Pain representives expressed surprise over the findings and pointed out that their health department inspection records had been well above average in all their restaurants around New York City.
The Au Bon Pain rat sighting came one day after the health inspector who gave a passing grade to a KFC/Taco Bell Restaurant one day before dozens of rats were seen running through the place has been taken off restaurant duty.
The health department also promised a thorough review to ensure that the city's 100 or so restaurant inspectors are going about their work correctly -- after the fast-food place initially was allowed to stay open despite the discovery of rodent droppings inside.
"They could always be better," Health Commissioner Thomas Frieden said.
The moves were prompted by a stomach-turning episode at a Manhattan KFC/Taco Bell last week.
After receiving a complaint about rats in the restaurant, the city dispatched an inspector, who found at least 76 fresh rodent droppings in the kitchen and basement and "conditions conducive to the existence of pest life," according to her written report.
The restaurant was told to clean up the mess, sanitize its equipment and hire exterminators, but it was allowed to remain open.
A day later, video of large rats scrambling about the restaurant began appearing on TV and circulating on the Internet. The city dispatched a second inspector, who ordered the place closed.
Frieden said the original inspection should have resulted in severe action.
He said the health department was still investigating why that didn't happen, but he said the first inspector and a supervisor had failed to perform a full evaluation that would have triggered a closure under the city's violation points system.
"They didn't grade it as severely as they could have," Frieden said.
The initial inspection assessed the restaurant 10 violation points. The follow-up inspection recorded 92.
The city did not release the name of the first inspector but said she had been on the job since June.
Department of Health and Mental Hygiene officials said she was still working but had been temporarily relieved of field duties.
Frieden said he also had asked the city's anti-corruption agency, the Department of Investigation, to review the inspector's work, but he added that there was no evidence she had accepted a bribe.
"We have no reason to suspect that there was any foul play," Frieden said. "We really don't think that there was any misconduct in this case."
The city is in the process of inspecting about 20 restaurants it believes are owned by the same company.
It also is reviewing past restaurant evaluations performed by the inspector to see if she had been too lenient.
Other inspectors will get similar reviews to see if they issue significantly more or fewer violations than average.
The restaurant, in Greenwich Village, remained closed Tuesday, with brown paper taped over its windows to deter gawkers.
Someone also had taped to the windows at least three rat cartoons, emblazoned with captions that included, "Will work for tacos."
A woman who answered the telephone at the restaurant hung up on a reporter. A receptionist at the New Jersey headquarters of the restaurant's corporate owner, ADF Operating Corp., referred questions to Yum Brands, the parent company of KFC and Taco Bell.
Spokespeople for Yum Brands have called the situation unacceptable and an isolated incident.
"We want to reassure customers that our restaurants are clean and safe," Yum Brands said Tuesday in a statement. "We will continue to work closely with the New York City Health Department, and if there's ever an issue we will immediately resolve it."
Rats Found In Second NYC Restaurant
NEW YORK -- Rats have been found in another New York City restaurant.
Video shot by NewsChannel 4 on Tuesday night showed at least two rats in the kitchen of Midtown's Au Bon Pain cafe.
The Boston-based bakery/café, located at 600 3rd Ave (map), was last inspected on Aug. 16 and was cited for only 13 points, well below the 28 points necessary to fail the inspection. It was initially cited for "evidence of flying insects or live flying insects present" and "cold food held above 41°F (smoked fish above 38°F) except during necessary preparation."
Newchannel 4's Adam Shapiro spoke with representives from Au Bon Pain's corporate headquarters Wednesday morning. The Au Bon Pain representives expressed surprise over the findings and pointed out that their health department inspection records had been well above average in all their restaurants around New York City.
The Au Bon Pain rat sighting came one day after the health inspector who gave a passing grade to a KFC/Taco Bell Restaurant one day before dozens of rats were seen running through the place has been taken off restaurant duty.
The health department also promised a thorough review to ensure that the city's 100 or so restaurant inspectors are going about their work correctly -- after the fast-food place initially was allowed to stay open despite the discovery of rodent droppings inside.
"They could always be better," Health Commissioner Thomas Frieden said.
The moves were prompted by a stomach-turning episode at a Manhattan KFC/Taco Bell last week.
After receiving a complaint about rats in the restaurant, the city dispatched an inspector, who found at least 76 fresh rodent droppings in the kitchen and basement and "conditions conducive to the existence of pest life," according to her written report.
The restaurant was told to clean up the mess, sanitize its equipment and hire exterminators, but it was allowed to remain open.
A day later, video of large rats scrambling about the restaurant began appearing on TV and circulating on the Internet. The city dispatched a second inspector, who ordered the place closed.
Frieden said the original inspection should have resulted in severe action.
He said the health department was still investigating why that didn't happen, but he said the first inspector and a supervisor had failed to perform a full evaluation that would have triggered a closure under the city's violation points system.
"They didn't grade it as severely as they could have," Frieden said.
The initial inspection assessed the restaurant 10 violation points. The follow-up inspection recorded 92.
The city did not release the name of the first inspector but said she had been on the job since June.
Department of Health and Mental Hygiene officials said she was still working but had been temporarily relieved of field duties.
Frieden said he also had asked the city's anti-corruption agency, the Department of Investigation, to review the inspector's work, but he added that there was no evidence she had accepted a bribe.
"We have no reason to suspect that there was any foul play," Frieden said. "We really don't think that there was any misconduct in this case."
The city is in the process of inspecting about 20 restaurants it believes are owned by the same company.
It also is reviewing past restaurant evaluations performed by the inspector to see if she had been too lenient.
Other inspectors will get similar reviews to see if they issue significantly more or fewer violations than average.
The restaurant, in Greenwich Village, remained closed Tuesday, with brown paper taped over its windows to deter gawkers.
Someone also had taped to the windows at least three rat cartoons, emblazoned with captions that included, "Will work for tacos."
A woman who answered the telephone at the restaurant hung up on a reporter. A receptionist at the New Jersey headquarters of the restaurant's corporate owner, ADF Operating Corp., referred questions to Yum Brands, the parent company of KFC and Taco Bell.
Spokespeople for Yum Brands have called the situation unacceptable and an isolated incident.
"We want to reassure customers that our restaurants are clean and safe," Yum Brands said Tuesday in a statement. "We will continue to work closely with the New York City Health Department, and if there's ever an issue we will immediately resolve it."
