‘Rats running in the establishment.’ This hot Lexington restaurant had to be shut down
A popular Lexington restaurant was closed recently after the health department received a complaint of “rats running in the establishment.”
The anonymous complaint also apparently included a photo of “rodent trapped in a snap trap.”
Joella’s Hot Chicken, 101 Cochran Rd., was ordered closed on Nov. 13.
The Lexington-Fayette County Health Department sent an inspector who ordered the restaurant closed immediately.
“Observed a live rodent in the kitchen near the door of the walk in. Issued an Enforcement Notice to close immediately as rodents in the establishment are an imminent health hazard,” according to the health department report.
“Joella’s Hot Chicken is dedicated to providing a safe, clean atmosphere and quality food to our guests,” said Christina Happel, regional vice president of operations, in a statement. “We take each and every inspection report or complaint very seriously and we took immediate measures to address this recent issue found in our Cochran Road location.
“Following rigorous cleaning procedures, our team quickly scheduled an inspection that received a perfect score with the local health department. It is our first priority to ensure every guest has a superior experience at all of our locations and we will continue to monitor each store for the best-in-class service and cleanliness.”
The fast-casual restaurant posted on its Facebook page on Nov. 13 saying the restaurant would be closed “until Monday as we work to fix some equipment issues.” But a customer noted that a sign had been posted on the door saying the health department had closed the location.
Someone posted a video online to Reddit on Nov. 20 with the caption “spotted at Joella’s a few days ago.” The eight-second video showed a live rat at the soft drink dispensing station in the restaurant. It is unclear when the video was taken.
“We are aware of the Reddit video and prior to it being posted had already taken additional steps with local pest control to make sure the issue was eradicated. A follow-up inspection was previously scheduled for Nov. 30 and we are confident we will receive an exemplary score,” Happel said. “For our Joella’s family, health and safety is most important, and we are dedicated to providing our guests a safe experience today, tomorrow and beyond.”
Joella’s was re-inspected on Nov. 16 and received a 100 percent score after a licensed pest control operator came and after the restaurant was sanitized and cleaned and received a 100 percent score.
“No evidence of rodents was observed,” according to the health department.
The restaurant was cleared to reopen on Nov. 16.
The Louisville-based chicken chain opened its second Lexington location in Hamburg earlier this week.
This story was originally published November 24, 2020 at 6:00 AM.
