Les Bubbles kitchen in Brisbane ça craint

Posted on February 14, 2018 by Douglas Powell

A customer dobbed (that’s Australian for, to inform against someone) a popular Brisbane restaurant Les Bubbles to food safety authorities after a rat scurried past her during the dinner rush, a court has been told.

Melanie Petrinec of the Courier Mail reports embattled restaurateur Damian Griffiths was today fined $3000 and company Limes Properties Pty Ltd was fined $30,000 after pleading guilty to breaches of food standards.

Griffiths was overseas when the case was mentioned in the Brisbane Magistrates Court last week, and did not appear in person.

Instead, his lawyer made submissions in writing to the court to say Griffiths was “simply unaware of what was going on” at his former restaurant when the rat was discovered in October, 2016.

Les Bubbles is now under new management and a spokesperson says all checks and pest inspections were now up to date.

Brisbane City Council prosecutor Andrea Lopez said it was irrelevant if he was aware or not, and revealed it was a customer who raised the alarm with authorities.

“A live rodent during a busy dinner rush has actually run across the room in the restaurant,” she said.

“The rodent has been quite comfortable in the food business.”

Subsequently, food safety inspectors claimed to find dirty equipment and rodent droppings in multiple areas including under the kitchen bench, under a downstairs bar and near the dishwashing area.

Ms Lopez said the rat droppings indicated “quite a large presence of rodent activity”.

UK store fined £2,000 after rotting mouse found among

Posted on October 10, 2014 by Douglas Powell

A decomposing mouse was found sandwiched between packets of beans at a convenience store.

The owner of the Gurkha SP4 Mini Market in Brompton High Street, Gillingham, has been fined after the discovery.

Rodents had torn their way into packets of food, contaminating them and leaving their droppings all over the shop shelves.

Environmental Health Officers made an unannounced visit to the shop on August 23 last year and immediately shut the premises down.

They discovered a widespread infestation, poor cleanliness and a mouse corpse in between packets of mung beans.

Last week shop owner Mrs Prerna Rai appeared at Medway Magistrates’ Court.

She pleaded guilty to five charges in relation to a lack of cleaning and repair, inadequate procedures to control a mouse infestation, food which had been contaminated by mice, no running hot water at the hand wash sink and failure to put in place procedures to manage food safety.

Rai was fined £2,000 and ordered to pay £500 costs as well as a £40 victim surcharge.

Adelaide bakery owner sought over rodent droppings found in food

Posted on June 18, 2014 by Douglas Powell

A council says an Adelaide western suburbs bakery where rodent droppings were found in food had supplied supermarkets, delicatessens and other food outlets.

Adelaide Magistrates Court has heard the owner has been actively avoiding being served with court documents.

It is alleged the droppings were in the mixture for custard tarts and biscuits and in potato flakes.

Rodent droppings on plates in DC restaurant

Posted on June 7, 2014 by Douglas Powell

“Mice droppings on plates” cited at one of DC’s favorite Indian restaurants resulted in a second closure health department closure order there.

It’s one of three closure inspections in this Restaurant Alert, including the Department of Commerce.

Health inspectors temporarily closed Heritage India, 1901 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Chipotle, 413 8th Street, SE, Department of Commerce, 6th Floor Snack Bar, 1401 Constitution Avenue, NW.

All passed re-inspection and are back in business.

To check your favorite restaurant, have a Restaurant Alert smartphone link sent to you by texting FOOD to 25543

Providence Hospital gift shop closed

Posted on February 1, 2014 by Douglas Powell

Health inspectors temporarily closed Lori’s Gift Shop at Providence Hospital, 1150 Varnum Street, NE DC; Murry’s Grocery Store, 610 H St. NE DC; Joe’s Noodle House, 1488-C Rockville Pike, Rockville, Md.; Wok N Roll, 604 H Street, NW DC; Ghar-E-Kabob, 944 Wayne Avenue, Silver Spring, Md.

All the restaurants have passed re-inspection are back in business.

Health inspectors closed Lori’s Gift shop inside Providence Hospital on Varnum Street, NE citing rodent droppings plus the observation of a bag of food chewed on by some sort of pest.

This is not the first time Lori’s has been closed by inspectors. The DC Health Department shut down the gift shop in December 2013 citing 5 violations including rodents.

Video reveals rodents at Brisbane restaurant

Posted on March 14, 2013 by Douglas Powell

This video stuff is everywhere, and people and proprietors can’t hide.

The Courier Mail reports rodents have been caught on CCTV in a Brisbane CBD shopping center, according to owners of an Indian restaurant which has been fighting to keep its food licence.

The firm behind Indian Odyssey told Queensland Administrative and Review Tribunal it had installed ultra-sonic devices to deter rodents.

Brisbane City Council had cancelled the food licence of Techno Protective Security Services, trading as Indian Odyssey, in October, after problems with cleanliness and pests, the tribunal heard.

But QCAT senior member Kerrie O’Callaghan later ordered a stay of that cancellation and has just published reasons for that decision.

The restaurant company told the tribunal it was the shopping centre – not named in the judgment – that had problems with rodents, but the restaurant now had pest inspections every three months.

The restaurant and council had since resolved the matter.

Rodent poop by slushy machine in Texas; employee bolts on camera

Posted on October 15, 2012 by Douglas Powell

Two Raymondville convenience stores continue to rack up high demerits on Food 4 Thought.

BreakTime on 1095 East Hidalgo Avenue scored the most with 30 demerits on a health inspection report.

Kitchen cops found ‘fresh’ rodent droppings in the cabinet area under the slushy machines.

The contamination is a repeat violation from another health inspection less than six months ago.

“Why do you think the rats like this area?” Action 4’s Ryan Wolf asked a manager on duty.

“I have no idea,” the manager, who would only identify himself as Sam, said.

The Food Patrol fired off other questions dealing with public safety concerns at Sam.

He was also asked about the owner’s previous claim on Food 4 Thought that he would take the appropriate action to stop the rodent contamination.

More than 30 ‘fresh’ droppings were discovered during a health inspection in May.

The filth turned up once again in the slushy machine area.

Sam did claim to be fairly new on the job; however, he did not stick around to answer all the Food Patrol’s questions.

He was caught on tape abruptly leaving the store in his vehicle.

2 Toronto restaurants closed for rodent infestation

Posted on March 1, 2012 by Douglas Powell

The Toronto Star reports two restaurants were shut down last week and face charges from Toronto Public Health for rodent infestation and poor sanitation.

South China Restaurant on Mount Pleasant Rd. near Davisville Ave. and Sushi Hana near Yonge and Wellesley Sts. failed to pass inspections on Feb. 21 and Feb. 23, respectively.

Jim Chan, manager of the food safety program at Public Health, said mice were found in both restaurants. Public Health has laid charges against both restaurants for rodent infestation. Sushi Hana, which has since reopened, also has a charge pending for sanitation issues. Chan said the infractions were serious enough to take them to court.

“Usually for a minor violation, the inspector will just issue a ticket,” he said.

Other infractions against South China Restaurant were failure to protect food from contamination, improper storage of solid waste and failure to clean bathroom fixtures.

Failure to protect food from contamination was also found at Sushi Hana. At least one employee was allegedly not washing hands before preparing food.

Fancy food isn’t safe food: Pusateri’s, Toronto’s most expensive grocer closed by rats, roaches

Posted on October 21, 2011 by Douglas Powell

Pusateri’s, proudly billed as Toronto’s most expensive grocer — on its shelves are the best quality fruits, vegetables, meats, imported canned goods and a range of prepared food – has been closed by Toronto Public Health due to poor sanitation and pest infestation.

“It is up to the operator to improve their services and arrange a reinspection with the Public Health Inspector,” Toronto Public Health spokeswoman Rishma Govani confirmed to the Star by email Thursday afternoon.

Pusateri’s general manager John Mastroianni, however, said the store was closed for “general maintenance.”

“It’s not rodents,” Mastroianni said, repeatedly insisting that the issue was equipment related and “general maintenance.”

Govani said specifically that the closure was due to poor sanitation and pest infestation.

The inspection arose as a result of a public complaint, she said adding the pest infestation included rats as well as cockroaches.

When confronted again with the confirmation from Toronto Public Health that the store was in fact closed due to poor sanitation and pests, Mastroianni admitted cockroaches had been found in the store.

Do you want these people serving food? NYC restaurants rack up health violations

Posted on May 16, 2011 by Douglas Powell

Maram Shami of Alfanoose Middle Eastern Cafe, told DNAinfo unscrupulous companies are taking advantage of New York City’s point system to prey on restaurant owners by promising to teach them how to properly clean and avoid future violations.

Shami said she and her husband, co-owner Mouhamad Shami, 55, shelled out $5,000 for a special training on how to clean the restaurant before the most recent inspection, only to incur more violations than the one before.

Shami said the poor grades are likely to drive her and her husband out of business, after customers stopped coming by after their most recent grade.

That’s just one of 10 downtown dining joints that racked up numerous violations recently.

Of the 10 restaurants that have poor grades looming, Mike’s Papaya at 88 Reade Street was the worst offender by far, with 106 violation points — or about a "C" grade under the city’s letter grading system. The hot dog joint was cited for violations including contaminated food, cold food not properly refrigerated, evidence of mice and lack of soap in the bathroom.

Many restaurant owners either declined to comment or were not immediately available for interview.

Other owners called the health inspection process unfair, and complained the number violations levied against them is unjustified.

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