After failing a safety assessment by the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, Gammeeok, a well-known Korean restaurant in Midtown Manhattan, has closed.
This comes after a couple’s takeaway order from a Korean restaurant was allegedly contaminated with a rat.
According to Mail Online, after inspectors allegedly discovered rat droppings inside the Midtown Manhattan eatery, Gammeeok failed to pass a health and safety check.
A representative for Mayor Eric Adams told multiple media sites that health officials are still looking into the eatery and the allegations.
“Protecting the health of New Yorkers is our first responsibility, and any eatery with conditions that endanger the patrons of our city will be closed down,” said Fabien Levy.
The owners of Gammeeok fought back against the criticism leveled at their establishment, even releasing video earlier this week of servers preparing the couple’s lunch and claiming they were lying about their claims.
Inspectors from the health department reportedly discovered rat droppings inside the eatery earlier this week, according to sources who talked with TMZ.
The individuals asserted that the restaurant lacked a trained supervisor on-site and improperly stored food.
Additionally, it was claimed that the eatery lacked the necessary permissions, about which Health Department representatives had previously forewarned them.
Levy said in a statement that after learning of the upsetting charges against the establishment, they looked into the case right away.
No restaurant in New York City is permitted to serve mice or rats, and we are looking into this further, Levy added.
Gammeeok’s personnel will have to make the necessary corrections and pay any potential fines if they hope to reopen anytime soon.
The Health Department has closed the restaurant, according to signs on the doors. They are also closed for “maintenance,” according to another sign.
The incident started on Monday, when Eunice Lucero-Lee and her husband Jason Lee uploaded a disturbing Instagram video and pictures of their supper.
The restaurant responded to the couple’s claims in a series of posts on Wednesday, saying they don’t “make logic.”
According to the restaurant, the pair left a review for another Korean restaurant six years prior in which they claimed to have discovered “a giant bug” in their takeout soup. Nevertheless, they later removed the review after their post went viral.
