UPDATE BELOW It's not quite an entire rodent, but the Flatiron outpost of super hot salad spot Sweetgreen has been shuttered by the Department of Health for evidence of live mice, among other things. Tipster Ryan Eugene Kelley sent photos from the restaurant this afternoon, where attempts to eat lunchtime leaves were thwarted by a big DOH sticker proclaiming the joint had been closed. "People would come up and read the sign, which was printed pretty small, and then be grossed out," according to Kelley.
WHY GOD (courtesy Ryan Eugene Kelley)
There's no information readily available on the DOH's inspection site, which lists the eatery's most recent inspection on January 20th, where it racked up 40 violations points. Citations included "evidence of mice or live mice present" and "filth flies" somewhere on the premises, either in the food service area or somewhere else. We've reached out to the DOH for a status on the restaurant's inspection and we'll update when we hear back.
For its part, Sweetgreen hasn't denied the problems, as evidenced by a sign posted in the shop's window. "We discovered flaws with the construction of our facility that have led to pest issues. These issues had no direct impact on the food we served our customers," the letter reads. "We're working around the clock to fix these violations and will be back up and running as soon as possible."
For (presumably) rodent-free salad bowls, there's always the recently-opened Williamsburg outpost or other two NYC locations.
(courtesy Ryan Eugene Kelley)
Update: Kelley tells us employees were handing out coupons for online ordering to customers who were denied their meals of Kale Caesars and Earth Bowls.
Update: 4:47 p.m. The Health Department released the following statement regarding the closure of Sweetgreen (emphasis ours): "Sweetgreen was closed recently due to a public health hazard that could not be corrected at the time of the inspection. In this case, they had a severe mouse infestation. Once these violations have been corrected, they can request a re-opening inspection."
