Gammeeok, a renowned Korean restaurant in Midtown Manhattan, has closed after failing a New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene safety inspection.
This follows allegations that the Korean eatery placed a rat in a couple’s takeout order.
According to Mail Online, Gammeeok failed a health and safety inspection after investigators allegedly discovered rat droppings inside the Midtown Manhattan eatery.
A representative for Mayor Eric Adams told multiple media sites that health officials are still investigating the eatery and the claims.
‘Our top priority is protecting the health of New Yorkers and if a restaurant has conditions that threaten our city’s diners, they will be shut down,’ Fabien Levy said.
Gammeeok’s owners had pushed back on the claims made against their restaurant, even releasing footage earlier this week of servers preparing the couple’s food and saying the pair is lying about their accusations.
Health department officials discovered rat droppings inside the eatery earlier this week, according to sources who talked with TMZ.
The individuals complained that the restaurant lacked a trained supervisor and did not keep food at the right temperature.
The restaurant also allegedly lacked the necessary permits, despite previous warnings from Health Department authorities.
Levy told the newspaper in a statement that they investigated the case quickly after hearing the unsettling allegations against the establishment.
‘No New York City restaurant is authorized to have mice or rats on the menu and we are investigating further,’ Levy said.
Gammeeok’s personnel will need to address the issues and pay any potential fines if they want to reopen anytime soon.
The Health Department has shut down the restaurant, according to signs displayed on the doors. Another notice indicates that they are closed for’maintenance.’
The incident began on Monday, when Eunice Lucero-Lee and husband Jason Lee shared shocking footage and photographs of their supper on Instagram.
In a stream of posts Wednesday, the restaurant hit back at the couple’s claims, saying they don’t ‘make sense.’
The restaurant claims the couple wrote a review for another Korean restaurant six years ago alleging they found ‘a large bug’ in their takeout soup, but deleted it after their post went viral.