Absolute Bagels gave new which means to the “the whole lot bagel,” in line with well being division information.
The in style bagelry’s closure despatched the Upper West Side reeling, however inspection reviews and metropolis officers point out the spot had points with rodents, bugs, unclean surfaces and unsafe chemical substances for years.
“We ordered a closure as a result of we discovered pest and meals contamination situations posing an imminent public well being hazard,” well being division spokesperson Shari Logan stated in an e-mail.
News of the bagel joint’s closure led to a lot gnashing of shmear and rending of lox on the Upper West Side this week. West Side Rag, which first reported the information, quoted shocked workers who described the choice to completely shut the spot as a “bombshell.”
But well being division information reveal a litany of ongoing violations.
On Dec. 11, the well being division ordered the spot’s shutdown as a result of violations together with:
- Evidence of rats or precise rats
- Live roaches
- Fish and different meals saved at unsafe temperatures
- Improperly labeled pesticides and probably harmful chemical substances
- Sewage disposal techniques in disrepair or not functioning correctly
- Unsanitary surfaces
And that was simply from the December inspection.
The metropolis’s well being division has cited unsafe chemical substances, defective meals storage, malfunctioning sewage techniques, vermin, roaches, home flies, blow flies, bottle flies, flesh flies, drain flies, Phorid flies and fruit flies in varied reviews courting again years.
“The institution does have a historical past of noncompliance and was beforehand closed by the well being division on Jan. 17, 2013 and Oct. 26, 2017 for vermin infestations and unsanitary situations,” Logan stated.
Absolute Bagels’ failure to correctly show a pending letter grade — which might’ve indicated to clients that it could not have been the very best possibility for a meal — was amongst its many citations.
The store was reopened after previous closures however it seems this time could also be everlasting. Logan stated the division had not heard from the proprietor who additionally didn’t reply to requests for remark from Gothamist.
