For everyone who has been frantically warning friends and family not to go to the Dunkin’ Donuts at 265 West 37th St. after seeing videos of rats in the donuts, you can rest easy. The Department of Health has shut down the location.
After the videos posted by YouTube user Pjayone was picked up by Gothamist on Wednesday, the rat feast went viral – and the Department of Health acted quickly. The department responded to the videos as a compliant, and went to the location for an inspection. By Thursday, the location had been shut down.
“The establishment was closed by the Department because of conditions that could not be corrected at the time of the inspection, including a severe rodent infestation that requires professional pest control services,” the Department of Health said in a statement. “They were also cited for other violations, including inadequate hand washing facilities and food not being protected from contamination.”
Dunkin’ Donuts, meanwhile, issued a statement Thursday saying they were “working closely with our franchise and the New York City Department of Health to correct the issues addressed during the inspection.”
They also confirmed they want to reopen the location “as quickly as possible.” Oh boy.
