Gothamist: West Village Restaurant Rats Shock and Awe

mmmmmmmmm

Sat, 07 Apr 2007 23:59:33 -0500

Now I want taco bell

Against the odds

Sun, 18 Mar 2007 14:58:03 -0500

Hey guys- true story really, the last time I been to Taco bell with my close friend- He ate and started acting really weird-- 5 minutes later he was out cold. All tacos migrate from south of the border.

Food for thought !!

Sun, 18 Mar 2007 14:35:21 -0500

Hey what's wrong with rats? they are the secondary choice of beef when resturaunt owners run out of meat. They're free and easy to catch. Listen- just ask any chinese resturant cook what is really beef with brocoli?? you'll be surprised how much rat you've eaten in your life. Beware- I have revealed the scariest secret- Ha Ha Ha Ha ha.

Mike

Mon, 05 Mar 2007 15:56:00 -0500

NYC needs to address this at a governmental level. Blame the mayor until every single residence and business has rat proof heavy-plastic trash bins with closable lids. There will be no relief until this happens.

David

Sat, 03 Mar 2007 02:17:57 -0500

Is Chipotle more Mexican and cleaner? (I don't think McD's owns it anymore so it may be) What do you like better? Taco Bell or Chipotle? I like both for different reasons lol

Joclyn

Tue, 27 Feb 2007 18:28:20 -0500

"Again, the subway system is hell." WTF? Again? Spoken like a true trust fund troll.

Ed

Sun, 25 Feb 2007 21:59:11 -0500

That's pretty disgusting, but those rats look awfully clean - pet store types for feeding reptiles... Also pretty fishy, the same day this story broke, these rats were capitalizing: www. cafepress.com/gigglemed/2588687

David

Sun, 25 Feb 2007 15:21:10 -0500

Good to know Mr Magoo has employment in a city agency

Jacob Jacobsen

Sat, 24 Feb 2007 09:15:15 -0500

Americans are just....I mean New York is just filthy. Rats are everywhere. KFC, Shake Shack, Subway st, etc Go to Hong Kong, rats are hard to come by. Not only do the stray cats help to keep it that way, but restaurant owners are more responsible and don't just ignore the problem.

Chris

Sat, 24 Feb 2007 08:53:14 -0500

Was one of them named Speedy? "¡Ándale! ¡Ándale!¡Arriba! ¡Arriba!"

M

Fri, 23 Feb 2007 21:46:16 -0500

this location is next to my favorite bong shop~!. Last time i went in to buy a pipe, two dudes were protesting kfc's animal abuse, i make it a point to eat the MINIMUM of fast food. it just isnt clean.

chris

Fri, 23 Feb 2007 21:38:06 -0500

chris

Fri, 23 Feb 2007 21:36:59 -0500

I love NYC, and hate Los Angeles, but can this city please start grading restaurants like LA does? Imagine how much harder restaurants would work at cleaning up and keeping rats out if they knew an easily visible letter grade, from A-F, would be placed outside the store by the health dept.

Sam Hilton

Fri, 23 Feb 2007 20:39:07 -0500

I know what the problem is! These are obese mice starting to cold turkey on the New York trans fat Ban!!!!!

S.D.

Fri, 23 Feb 2007 20:27:30 -0500

"taco bell is an illegal immigrant."?? ... Do the NYU Republicans Know??? ;)

youaintseennuthinyet

Fri, 23 Feb 2007 20:17:33 -0500

Can't wait to see what happens when they "renovate" the sewer that those rats all call home...Washington Square Park.

bd

Fri, 23 Feb 2007 19:21:27 -0500

i live on cornelia street, which is directly behind 6th avenue in the location where taco bell is. as i walked home i passed the front of taco bell - dark and quiet. however, the back entrance is on cornelia street and there was an army of laborers/employees quickly filling up a truck full of taco bell appliances, garbage etc.

OY

Fri, 23 Feb 2007 18:29:13 -0500

Again, the subway system is hell. NYC is bearable only if you don't *have* to use. You can choose to use it if you don't want to take an alternative method you can easily afford (towncar, cab, etc.), but for those who don't *have* that choice it's hell. If everyone could walk to work, they would. Of course if everyone didn't *have* to work (or specifically, work where they do), they wouldn't. Pretty simple eh? -OY

edEx

Fri, 23 Feb 2007 18:04:29 -0500

taco bell is an illegal immigrant.

Rob

Fri, 23 Feb 2007 17:43:26 -0500

I will take 5 rats instead of 1 roach...at least rats are cute.

mihow

Fri, 23 Feb 2007 17:27:23 -0500

Oh, also. Two things I took away from the WABC Web site: 1). "I like mexican food, so I come to Taco Bell sometimes," customer Shelly Vinson said. "But never again. That's disgusting." I don't presume to know much about authentic Mexican food, but is Taco Bell REALLY considered Mexican? For some reason I imagine a lot of Mexicans might be appalled by that common confusion. 2). Don't rats have sex like every minute? That video was like 2 minutes long. Why didn't any of them get their hump on? What a let down. No rodent sex, just a bunch of scurrying.

mihow

Fri, 23 Feb 2007 17:18:05 -0500

I wouldn't ever dream of telling people what they should or shouldn't eat but given the amount of shit they have experienced lately, I think it's pretty safe to say that it's a risk eating there at all. If I were Taco Bell I would start having my patrons sign a liability waiver before ordering. "I ________ realize I am eating Taco Bell food at my own risk. If or when I get sick eating here, I hereby waive my right to sue."

S.D.

Fri, 23 Feb 2007 17:14:13 -0500

... Thanks to those video's I'm cured of Taco Bel and KFC.

Taco Wellington

Fri, 23 Feb 2007 16:48:27 -0500

Rats in a Taco Bell five feet away from a subway entrance? Shocking!

Spud Spudly

Fri, 23 Feb 2007 16:13:14 -0500

NYC = safest big city in America. You're safer here than you are in Des Moines.

smitty

Fri, 23 Feb 2007 16:10:28 -0500

Taco Bell is so meh, I wish NYC had Baja Fresh!

Benjamin Kabak

Fri, 23 Feb 2007 16:06:36 -0500

Honestly, between the cost of real estate, the hell that is the subway system, the complete inability to drive or park anywhere, the crowds, the smell, the crime...the rampant, mutant rats running free everywhere--why on earth does anyone live in NY?! Go away, troll. There are plenty of better places for you to sound off on the Internet than in this forum. Meanwhile, I'll just say that the subways aren't hell; people shouldn't drive in New York City; and we seem to have gotten read of one of the rats when you left the city. Enjoy.

T.R.

Fri, 23 Feb 2007 15:52:08 -0500

I don't think there is a taco bell in the city that is sanitary. I've had disgusting experiences at just about all of them (the one near union square being the least offensive). When I go to a fast food joint outside of NYC, it's like a gourmet meal compared to what you find here. One by one I have stopped eating at just about all of them, and seeing this might have gotten me to give all of them up for good. Making your own food is a pain in the ass, but I think it's worth it.

Brian

Fri, 23 Feb 2007 15:43:27 -0500

Why do I read Gothamist if I don't live in NY anymore? Good question--it's not like there is anything interesting that happens in the city that I'd want to read about. I also subscribe to NY magazine...why on earth would I do that if I don't live here anymore? Genius. Honestly, between the cost of real estate, the hell that is the subway system, the complete inability to drive or park anywhere, the crowds, the smell, the crime...the rampant, mutant rats running free everywhere--why on earth does anyone live in NY?!

smitty

Fri, 23 Feb 2007 15:37:36 -0500

In N Out will never expand out of the West - so far they have only expanded to Northern California and Las Vegas. This is because they want to keep all their ingredients fresh and local (mmm, fresh produce from the San Jaoquin Valley!) and transportation distances prevent that.

robin.g

Fri, 23 Feb 2007 15:29:02 -0500

There are mice in the suburbs and country too. Almost every apt. I have ever lived in has had at least one mouse sighting; from a country farmhouse to a Brooklyn basement apartment to a lovely Westchester development. Dem mieces is everywhere!

Strangenotes

Fri, 23 Feb 2007 14:44:38 -0500

Why can't they have in-n-out here? One of the best fast foods I've ever had. I like the double double animal style. www.in-n-out.com

Tom

Fri, 23 Feb 2007 14:34:44 -0500

Have you ever had a cheesy gordita crunch? Alex wins the thread.

More Rats on Sixth

Fri, 23 Feb 2007 14:28:07 -0500

Swing by the perpetual construction site ("the big dig") on 6th Ave and 13th St and see tons of rats scurrying about, minding their business and trash. Especially after sunset!

Spud Spudly

Fri, 23 Feb 2007 14:27:31 -0500

The stock's only down 1.1% so far today: I guess the investors are already familiar with the consumers and figure they won't be put off by a few dozen rats.

smitty

Fri, 23 Feb 2007 14:18:13 -0500

Yeah, there are a lot of pros with E. Coli and rats - extreme weight loss and free furry little pets.

j0e blow

Fri, 23 Feb 2007 13:48:37 -0500

"The restaurant had been open until 11PM last night, and someone called a tip when they saw rats running around." Someone called a tip?

joe

Fri, 23 Feb 2007 13:40:30 -0500

I'll have a Taco Supereme and a bucket of Buffalo Wings. Hey, my taco's a little too salty. Are those beans on my Buffalo Wings? Aren't all the rats in Washington D.C.?

eyeroll

Fri, 23 Feb 2007 13:12:52 -0500

quote "Which makes us wonder about the pros and cons of e. coli and rats." What, pray tell, does this mean?Sing it with me: EVERYBODY JEN CHUNG TONIGHT!

Constant Dater

Fri, 23 Feb 2007 13:06:50 -0500

Also, drunk people go to fast food restaurants, especially when they are so close to the West 4th station. Kind of like I did last nite. Eek.

Anon

Fri, 23 Feb 2007 13:06:18 -0500

#34 - "Honestly, why do people that don't live in NY read gothamist?" I don't live in New York. I read Gothamist because I used to live in New York, and New York didn't fall off the map when I moved away. I'm still interested in what's going on there. I still read the NY papers, and I still read Gothamist. Anyway. With regard to the "Why don't you just go to the grocery store and get fresh ingredients?" comment -- I'm not commenting on relative nutritional value, but there are rats in the grocery stores too. I haven't seen them scampering up and down the aisles, though my roommate did, but there were a number of times when I'd pick up a bag of bread or bagels and it would have a big chunk gnawed out of it. I've eaten at that Taco Bell, so -- ew. I'm pretty grossed out. But I'd lay you ten to one that the grocery stores in my neighborhood were nearly as filthy. I always ordered from FreshDirect so I didn't have to see it and therefore didn't have to think about it.

Gary Wallace

Fri, 23 Feb 2007 13:03:21 -0500

I would have to argue that there are some adult rats that are definitely bigger than others. We're not dealing w/ regular scientific conditions here... this is NYC. I've definitely seen rats that could be chihuahuas if they had longer legs and shorter tails.

cleanliness is next to ratless

Fri, 23 Feb 2007 12:51:34 -0500

quote "Which makes us wonder about the pros and cons of e. coli and rats." What, pray tell, does this mean?

Monkey Wrench

Fri, 23 Feb 2007 12:47:23 -0500

Honestly, why do people that don't live in NY read gothamist?

bao

Fri, 23 Feb 2007 12:45:16 -0500

i have a fuckin' mouse in my room, and it was eating my marshmallow bar in my backpack 4 am 2 days ago... fuck! fuck! fuck!

Dave

Fri, 23 Feb 2007 12:44:33 -0500

Sorry Gramps but there are plenty of rats on Park Ave. The food court on the lower level of Grand Central has a chronic rat problem. It's not so much a cleanliness issue as the fact that the railroad tracks are right there and the restaurant kitchens are wide open and exposed. Also Brian: why are you still reading Gothamist if you are so over NYC?

Brian

Fri, 23 Feb 2007 12:23:24 -0500

Honestly, why do people live in NY? (and this is coming from someone who lived in NY for 14 years before coming to his senses).

mikey!

Fri, 23 Feb 2007 11:49:19 -0500

Hey, now we know what that mystery meat is in the "beef" burrito.

mikey!

Fri, 23 Feb 2007 11:42:16 -0500

Hey, now we know what that mystery meat is in the "beef" burrito.

Joe

Fri, 23 Feb 2007 11:36:50 -0500

So, is the Taco Bell-KFC open today?

smitty

Fri, 23 Feb 2007 11:33:52 -0500

In terms of restaurants, I've seen roaches (Cafe Gigi, B&H Dairy) and mice (California Pizza Kitchen, don't ask) at many. Even though you know they are there, it is always gross to see them while you are eating.

eyeroll

Fri, 23 Feb 2007 11:28:42 -0500

#15 It's not wrong. Rats are cute and make great pets. The problem is that wild rats make great pests.

neal

Fri, 23 Feb 2007 11:24:28 -0500

From the excellent book "Rats" by Robert Sullivan: "Most likely, if you are in New York while you are reading this sentence or even in any other major city in America, then you are in proximity to two or more rats..." As in, they are all around us -- closer than you think.

Park Ave

Fri, 23 Feb 2007 11:24:28 -0500

"No rats on Park Ave". Those holes dug in the median dirt ain't from gophers, Gramps.

Andrew J. Lederer

Fri, 23 Feb 2007 11:16:29 -0500

i saw the largest cockroach i've ever seen indoors stroll confidently from behind something in that location some years back. i've been tempted to give the place another chance 'cause it's conveniently located but so far, i haven't. thanks for reinforcing my resolve.

Spud Spudly

Fri, 23 Feb 2007 11:10:08 -0500

Are the people who eat at KFC really going to care about rats? When I lived in the Village I once saw the fountain in Washington Square Park FULL of rats. It was like a moving rat carpet. Another small park with a major rat problem is the triangle on Broadway near 110th street.

will

Fri, 23 Feb 2007 10:54:34 -0500

i'm shocked, shocked, to see rats at that taco bell. it makes me wonder what the rat situation is next door at all the restaurants on cornelia street.

scurry curry

Fri, 23 Feb 2007 10:53:53 -0500

Them are some pretty big rats. Makes me wonder where they are coming from, construction in the area? Are they trapped inside trying to get out to a food source? How does one kill one of them giant suckers? I got queasy shooting a pellet into a lil mice on a glue trap.

Buddy Cianci

Fri, 23 Feb 2007 10:50:17 -0500

You may think these rats are big, but take a trip to Providence, and you'll see just how big they can be. Seriously, the size of cats, and out in broad daylight. Which is one of the many reasons Providence sucks giant asses.

J

Fri, 23 Feb 2007 10:45:16 -0500

Would you like fries with your bubonic plague ..?

John Miller

Fri, 23 Feb 2007 10:42:26 -0500

Rats and Mice are everywhere, and in every resteraunt, sad but true. I had lunch recently @ Frank in the east village one day, and walked into what I thought was the bathroom, but was their food storage room. Saw 5-6 mice on the floor scurrying around. Don't think owners care, although it makes me sick.

Schadenfreudian Mensch

Fri, 23 Feb 2007 10:33:29 -0500

I like it when rats just lay on their backs and take a drag on their fag instead of taking a nosh on a Gordita Supreme. www.gothamist.com/archives/2005/08/30/one_last_cigarette.php

smitty

Fri, 23 Feb 2007 10:18:59 -0500

Is it wrong if I think the rats are a little cute? Hehe. Not that I'd want to be anywhere near them or have them near my food.

Splinter

Fri, 23 Feb 2007 10:18:12 -0500

I'm sorry, but I don't see the problem. Rats need to eat too you know.

tien

Fri, 23 Feb 2007 10:05:04 -0500

after watching the video of this earlier in the morning, i'm not sure i need to eat the rest of the day. so nasty!

Gramps

Fri, 23 Feb 2007 10:04:09 -0500

No rats on Park Ave

Alex

Fri, 23 Feb 2007 09:58:32 -0500

A lot of customers at these places have neither the time nor the money to make their own food.

anon

Fri, 23 Feb 2007 09:57:52 -0500

It's new york folks, there are going to be rats EVERYWHERE! Incidentially, the hugest rats I've ever seen are at the fresh vegetable stand at the corner of Houston and Broadway. Makes you reconsider the fresh tacos thing a bit...

Peter

Fri, 23 Feb 2007 09:57:04 -0500

So if the presence of rats won't make a restaurant fail the Health Department inspection, what will? The Village seems to have the biggest rats in NY. I've seen rats near St Marks that are equal in size of some small dogs. There is very little size variance in adult rats. They weight about one pound, give or take no more than an ounce or two.

Peter

Fri, 23 Feb 2007 09:56:24 -0500

Lou

Fri, 23 Feb 2007 09:50:18 -0500

Because it's yummy, Risa. Sure it ain't healthy, but you don't have to be healthy 24/7, Slim Goodbody. Not worth getting on your high horse. Speaking of horse, I'll be at White Castle.

okki

Fri, 23 Feb 2007 09:49:45 -0500

Risa, I think it's because people are lazy. It's just as cheap to go to the supermarket and buy fresh ingredients and make tacos for the whole week... but that takes effort.

Kojak

Fri, 23 Feb 2007 09:49:16 -0500

"Seeing images of huge, fat rats run around a fast food restaurant in the Village!" Why is anyone surprised? The Village seems to have the biggest rats in NY. I've seen rats near St Marks that are equal in size of some small dogs.

Alex

Fri, 23 Feb 2007 09:47:57 -0500

Have you ever had a cheesy gordita crunch?

Risa

Fri, 23 Feb 2007 09:41:43 -0500

Why do people continue to eat at fast food restaurants? High in calories, low in nutrients, and now chock full of rat feces. Does that sound appetizing? There are plenty of other affordable food options out there. It's just a little crazy to me that people keep going back for more of this low-quality, unhealthy dreck.

sick

Fri, 23 Feb 2007 09:38:12 -0500

holy crap that is some big rats. really gross.

Alex

Fri, 23 Feb 2007 09:17:57 -0500

I eat at this taco bell all the time. I've never seen any rats, but the hygiene and cleanliness there is the same as at most other taco bells and I think that's the problem. On a more personal note, they don't make cinnamon twists and I think that's a problem worth reporting too.