Social media spurs Alaskan restaurant closure; Facebook post leads to health inspection

The Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation closed the May Flower Restaurant in Fairbanks on Tuesday after the state agency was tipped off to alleged food safety violations via the department’s Facebook page.

mayflower-buffetEnvironmental health officer Colin Taylor said, “We can confirm that they were closed today for sanitation deficiencies, and we’ll be actively working with the facility to reopen as soon as possible.”

A photo showing what appears to be a cockroach near a stack of plates made the rounds on social media on Tuesday. It was shared with the DEC through the Facebook page, which spurred the in-person inspection of the restaurant and discovery of the “sanitation deficiencies.”