Health inspector: Richmond eatery removed rodents

A Richmond restaurant has addressed a recurring rodent issue, and no violations were found during its April 16 inspection, officials said.

During routine inspections of food establishments earlier this year, Wayne County Health Department discovered evidence of rodents at the city’s west side Arby’s location, 215 National Road W.

In March and early April, inspectors made several follow-up inspections to that eatery, where more droppings were found. Those visits were noted in reports that WCHD supplies routinely for publication in Western Wayne News.

On April 21, Chad Kircher, WCHD’s deputy director of environmental services, told WWN that as temperatures increase, more incidents involving rodents occur in food service.

“Any time the presence of rodents is noticed during inspection, it is addressed and resolved as quickly as possible,” Kircher said. “Most establishments have pest control plans to quickly address any issue before the involvement of the health department.”

Kircher said the west side Arby’s location has its own contract with a pest control company, and the issue has been addressed and appears to be resolved.

Although the pest control company noted it was “treating for roach and rodent activity,” WCHD’s inspector didn’t observe any signs of roaches during any of the inspections, Kircher said.

Also, WCHD’s inspector instructed the restaurant’s supervisors to advise their employees not to keep the back door propped open going forward, Kircher said. Concerns about the door being open had resulted in noncritical violations.

During a March 4 follow-up visit, which was prompted by a complaint from the public, the inspector found mouse droppings on the prep counter by the bun toaster. Employees were told that the prep counter must be cleaned and sanitized immediately. 

In addition, mouse droppings were found under soda stations in the dining area and at the drive-thru window, and under the fryer. Those violations were to be corrected by March 5.

However, on March 5, the inspector found droppings under the soda station in the dining area. Those droppings were to be removed by March 6.

During the March 6 visit, three noncritical violations found earlier in the week had been corrected (dirt/debris on floor, dirty ceiling vents and a leak pooling on the floor) and no other violations were noted. The inspector urged continued cleaning and mitigation for rodent harborage.

Sometime in the next 12 days, the rodents reappeared, because during a March 18 follow-up visit, the inspector found rodent droppings under the soda station at the drive-thru. The report noted the repeated critical issue was to be corrected in 14 days with continued treatment and monitoring of the rodent problem.

During an April 2 visit, the inspector noted another critical violation after rodent droppings were found under the lobby’s soda machine. The violation was to be corrected that day. Employees were to continue cleaning and call the pest company. They were given 14 days to check the pest control issue.

The presence of insects, rodents, and other pests is a critical violation, according to the Indiana food establishment sanitation requirements that Kircher provided to WWN.

When pests are found, the inspector gives the establishment a copy of the inspection listing the violations, he said. The inspector then gives the establishment guidelines and a time frame to correct those violations.

If the establishment is noncompliant, a meeting will be conducted with health department administrators and restaurant ownership to discuss the issue.

If the restaurant continues to be noncompliant, then the case would be turned over to the county attorney for court injunction.

“In this case, Arby’s West was very compliant and followed all guidelines put in place by our inspector,” Kircher said. “Arby’s West immediately addressed the problem and put in place corrective measures.”

On inspection paperwork, WCHD says Richmond’s west side Arby’s is owned by RMI. Restaurant Management Inc., an Arby’s franchisee, started in 1965 with one restaurant in Cleveland, Ohio, and moved its headquarters to Cincinnati the following year.

Although it’s primarily concentrated in the greater Cincinnati and Chattanooga areas, RMI operates restaurants in Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina, Alabama and Georgia.

WWN contacted Arby’s corporate communications team with questions about training and oversight provided to the location’s staff, but didn’t receive a response before press time.