Overland Park chain restaurant temporarily shuts down for roach infestation

The Kansas Department of Agriculture cited Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill & Bar, 11000 Metcalf Ave., Overland Park, for eight priority violations, including a roach infestation, during a Nov. 27 inspection following a complaint.

According to the report, Applebee’s “did not cease operations and notify the KDA of the imminent health hazard of a roach infestation.” The restaurant temporarily shut down.

It had no violations during a Nov. 28 follow-up inspection and was allowed to reopen.

In a statement, Scott Fischer, spokesman for Applebee’s, said: “There will never be an excuse for a health code violation at any of our locations. Upon receipt of the violation, we closed the restaurant and completed an exhaustive extermination and sanitation process with the help and guidance of our partner Ecolab. Although we passed the follow up inspection with no violations, this situation has triggered a detailed prevention and monitoring protocol that should prevent any future problems. We take all violations seriously and will take all necessary steps to make sure we have fully eliminated any issues at this restaurant.”

For complete Kansas health inspections, visit http://agriculture.ks.gov/divisions-programs/food-safety-lodging/inspection-results

This story was originally published November 29, 2017 at 2:14 PM with the headline "Overland Park chain restaurant temporarily shuts down for roach infestation."