CANADA: Rat-plagued dumpling house reopened

20.feb.08
The Star

Barfblog

A popular Chinatown restaurant has, according to this story, gotten the green pass to reopen after it was shut down when a passerby snapped a photo through the front window of rats climbing and feasting on countertops used for cooking.
The Dumpling House at 328 Spadina Ave. was closed Friday afternoon after public health officials received the complaint and investigated. They found evidence of fresh rat droppings and holes in the walls, indicating an "active infestation."
Jim Chan, manager of food safety with Toronto Public Health, was quoted as saying, "All of these things put together indicate that there was a serious rat problem in the restaurant. During my career, I have never seen a situation where there are three or four rats right in front of you in broad daylight."
Michael Chu, the manager of the Dumpling House, was cited as saying the staff spent the weekend "bleaching" tables, counters, containers and utensils, and hired a pest control operator to set traps, adding, "I was here until 3 a.m. every night just waiting for the rats
Chu was further cited as saying that while the incident will cost Chu around $10,000 in cleanup and closing costs, even with a sign outside alerting people to the infestation, he had to turn people away, adding, "I have gotten calls of support all day. It's touching. I just want to cry."