Rodent poop, including in rice, was ‘overwhelming’ at PA restaurant, officials say
.png "Took Took 98 in Pittsburgh was ordered to close after an inspection revealed rodent droppings throughout the building, officials say.")
A Pennsylvania Thai restaurant was ordered to close after health inspectors say they found unclean surfaces and rodent droppings throughout the building.
The Allegheny County Health Department made the stomach-turning discovery during a food safety inspection at Took Took 98 in Pittsburgh on Sept. 16.
During the inspection, health officials found unclean surfaces, cross-contamination, unlabeled food and, at one point, an inspector stopped operations due to an “overwhelming contamination” of rodent droppings in the kitchen, according to the report.
The report states a mouse dropping was found in a large container of cooked rice. Inspectors also found droppings on a prep table, in a walk-in cooler, a meat grinder, in the basement and in various areas of the kitchen, including on shelves and the floor.
Three dead mice, two of them decaying, were also found in the basement, the report said.
The restaurant was ordered to be shut down “due to multiple high-risk violations (contaminated food-contact surfaces, adulterated foods, cross-contamination, pest control prevention).”
McClatchy News reached out to the restaurant Sept. 22 but did not immediately hear back.
“Your health and safety are always our top priority, and we’ve worked hard to address every concern to ensure we provide the cleanest, safest, and most enjoyable dining experience possible,” the restaurant said in a Facebook post.
In order to reopen, the restaurant must follow several orders listed in the report:
- Remove dead rodents from basement
- Remove rodent droppings from all areas of facility
- Disinfect affected areas
- Remove all adulterated foods from the facility
- Clean and disinfect all food contact surfaces and non-food contact surfaces
- Provide disinfection procedures to owner via email
- Service and clean the greasetrap
- Retain service report
