Well, this just about ruined my appetite.
We went through seeing those videos of the rats running around some of New York City's eateries, and now we have tonight's Inside Edition showing video that exposes the little monsters having fun at night in some of Boston's restaurants. It's part of a regular feature they do now called "Rat Patrol."
Some of the restaurants include Ruth's Chris Steak House, near downtown crossing if you know the area, McCormick & Schmick's, and The China Pearl. Ruth's Chris is working with the health inspector on a regular basis, and the other restaurants have regular checkups as well.
The owner of The China Pearl says that the Big Dig construction over the past few years has displaced many of the rodents.
4-30-2007 @8:54PM Crystal King said... Any restaurant that shares a common wall with the T is going to have them too. I've heard all sorts of stories about how the mice run all over the cups at Herrell's in Harvard Square in the basement--so stop trying to justify the fact that you are paying $6 for a ball the size of your fist and head over to Lizzy's on Church street instead. Skewers (no longer there) used to have rats and I've personally seen mice at John Harvard's (and got a free meal out of it). very very gross...
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4-30-2007 @10:48PM Scott said... Meh, I hate at McCormick and Schmicks a couple weeks ago and I'd go again in a second. Maybe I'd avoid a place if they literally served me a rat or a plate of rat feces, but considering I grew up in a house that had a mouse problem the entire time I lived there and I don't remember ever getting the plague or any other unusual diseases I'm not losing my appetite. The health department will slowly do their job and most likely there isn't anything wrong with any of these restaurants that should keep people away.
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4-30-2007 @11:22PM Steve Shickles said... Nasty..
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5-01-2007 @6:20AM Paul said... It's not my intent to gross people out but, EVERY, let me repeat, EVERY restaurant has a rodent/pest problem. If they are not inside they are just out the back door around the dumpster. Any owner/manager that doesn't set traps and acknowledge this problem is just inviting them in. As long as the restaurant actively cleans and maintains they're food prep areas there really isn't a problem. (A regular visit from the exterminator helps too!)
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5-01-2007 @2:20PM Scott said... Exactly Paul, thank you. You know what attracts rodents and bugs and other pests? Food. You know where there's lots and lots of food? Restaurants. The two go together like beer and BBQ. Wherever you find one you're going to most likely find the other. Like Paul said, as long as the management sets traps, does their best to keep the food prep areas spotless, and the department of health does routine inspections that's all we can ask. Expecting there to NEVER be a rodent or bug or whatever inside a restaurant is legitimately impossible. No they shouldn't be running roughshod over the restaurant, that's not cool either.
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5-01-2007 @7:53PM jill said... Sorry, I don't buy all these excuses for having rodents crawling all over our food. Clean the place up, get some professionals on the scene to get rid of the problem and block up their entrance. It's not that hard. Check for cracks in walls and floors, stuff opening around pipes with steelwool and keep outside trash containers closed. The first time I see a rat or mouse in a restaurant will be the last time they see my business.
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