Feb 26, 2007 7:33 pm US/Eastern
NYC Health Dept. Ripped After KFC Rat Problem
Restaurant Cited For Rodent Evidence 5 Times Since 2004
by Marcia Kramer
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
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In a stunning announcement, the NYC Department of Health said Feb. 24 the KFC/Taco Bell in Greenwich Village actually passed inspection on Feb. 22. Restaurant parent company Yum Brands issued a statement later in the day saying getting to the bottom of the
CBS
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The Department of Health closed the business until it passes re-inspection.
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Rats running rampant through a Greenwich Village KFC/Taco Bell restaurant on Feb. 23, 2007, remains the talk of the town.
CBS
The New York City Health Department says that one out of every five city restaurants fails its yearly inspection, but what it can't -- and won't -- explain is how the Greenwich Village KFC/Taco Bell infested with rats passed its inspection with flying colors. Today CBS 2 learned the restaurant passed numerous other tests, despite the fact that officials found evidence of rodents.
CBS 2 learned over the weekend that the restaurant had passed the inspection just one day before cameras captured the fat, filthy rodents scurrying about on the floor, on top of trashcans, and crawling down chairs and tables.
City Councilman Joel Rivera, D-Bronx, is the Chairman of the council's Health Committee, and says the council is outraged -- not just at the rats, but that the restaurant somehow managed to pass the health code test. "That is something that's disgusting, deplorable, and needs to be remedied," he told CBS 2.
In the Health Department's scoring system, a grade of "28" and above is failing. Last Thursday, an inspector gave the restaurant a "9" even though it claimed there was "evidence of rats or live rats present."
The next day, after CBS 2 aired its video, another inspector gave the restaurant a "92."
CBS 2 discovered Monday that the restaurant's last five inspections dating back to November 2004 have turned up mice or rat dropping on
each occasion.
The Health Department refused to make anyone available to explain its actions or to reassure the public that its inspections of the city's 22,000 eateries are really accurate.
In Greenwich Village, the restaurant at question blocked out its windows Monday as people questioned the Health Department's actions.
One woman tried calling the Health Department to find out answers herself, but wasn't left with a favorable response. "They said it takes 37 days to file a complaint, so maybe it's the Health Department with a problem -- they're slow," she said.
Another New Yorker called the department a "disgrace" while another wondered whether the owner of the restaurant had some inside help from one of the inspectors. Rivera wonders that too and says that the inspector who gave the restaurant a "9" last week should have his or her work investigated.
"I definitely think they have to re-inspect all the facilities because again, this is people's food," Rivera said.
Rivera is also calling for the city to re-evaluate its scoring system and he says that the city should consider establishing a rat control board.
(© MMVII, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
SLIDESHOW: Rat Invasion At KFC
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