Health Departments Can Shut Down Restaurants Without Warning

 

Photo Source: DNA Info New York

Business was booming for Claude Tripman*, owner of a trendy Manhattan restaurant called Claude’s* located in the West Village. Within three years of opening his restaurant, Tripman had transformed a small, undistinguished eatery into a popular dining establishment, serving steak, hamburgers, Italian dishes and his locally famous cheesecake.

Caught up in the excitement of being financially successful, Claude thought he could make even more of a profit by doing most of the work himself and relying on just a few dependable employees. As he consistently worked over 70 hours a week, Claude dreamed of expanding his restaurant into a major (and lucrative) hot-spot in the West Village.

One winter Monday afternoon, as is customary for them to do when performing inspections on food, medical or other establishments, the New York City Health Department dropped in at Claude’s unannounced.

Claude panicked, suddenly realizing he had neglected to make sure that his employees and his restaurant were following the NYC Health Department guidelines. But it was too late to do anything now. The inspectors were here and he was at their mercy.

Within two hours, the health inspectors shut down the restaurant after finding nearly 50 health and safety violations. Some of the more serious violations involved evidence of rodents and an extremely dirty trash chute. There was also evidence of pigeons roosting underneath eaves in the back of the building and failure of employees to properly store perishable food.

Devastated, Claude did not know what to do next. He knew he had to get his restaurant back up to code as soon as possible to avoid substantial loss of revenue and irreparable damage to the restaurant’s reputation.

With professional assistance from Assured EnvironmentsClaude’s was back in business–for good. Our team of NYC rodent control experts and fly drain treatment professionals ensured his premises adhered to all health guidelines and help put his restaurant back in business as quickly as possible. The team also put in place measures to ensure such an economically crippling shutdown would not reoccur. The Assured team now return regularly to assess his restaurant and perform any treatments necessary to ensure he is not hit with more violations and fines from the NYC Health Department, and can instead focus on the other parts of his now booming business.

*All names have been changed to protect the privacy of our clients.