Maybe it’s just living in New York so long that’s made me jaded, but when people go on about a NYC restaurant having had mice or roaches in the past, I don’t really bat an eyelid. Obviously I don’t want mice or mice shit or anything dirty near my food and I do have limitations, but assuming the establishment takes the proper steps to rid themselves of the issue, it’s not a deal breaker for me. It’s New York – no matter where you go and how clean you are, there are going to be mice/roaches/etc. It’s just the restaurant’s responsibility to manage those issues if they should arise and to keep things as clean and hygienic as possible. That’s why hearing that Justin Timberlake‘s upscale eatery, Southern Hospitality, was cited for several violations didn’t immediately put me off.
Here’s the old report from Radar Online:
The crooner’s barbecue joint in New York City, Southern Hospitality, was slapped with a ‘B’ grade by the New York City Department of Health during a routine inspection on June 19, 2013.
Justin, 32, is a Co-Creator and Creative Consultant of the NYC restaurant, along with best friends Trace Ayala and Eytan Sugarman.
Located in the Hell’s Kitchen district of the city, the popular restaurant was docked 22 points by the Department for various violations, which they can challenge and successfully change to be issued a higher grade.
Yeah, B isn’t the best grade in the world, but it’s not the worst, so I wasn’t entirely put off… until I read the update… which, to be fair, sounds pretty gross:
RadarOnline.com can exclusively reveal that the 34-year-old singer’s upscale BBQ joint in NYC was slammed for multiple sanitary violations during a recent health inspection.
According to a recent New York City Department of Heath report obtained by Radar, inspectors discovered “evidence of mice or live mice present in the facility’s food and/or non-food areas” during a July 14, 2015 visit.
“Harborage or conditions conducive to attractive vermin to the premises and/or allowing vermin to exist,” they wrote.
In addition, inspectors said the “food contact surface” was “not properly washed, rinsed and sanitized after each use and following any activity when contamination may have occurred.”
Both violations were marked in red and deemed “critical.”
The eatery received a “grade pending” mark. NYC facilities are graded from A to C, but are given two chances to score an A.
Yikes. Considering this is a follow-up visit after their first failures and not only did they not improve on their issues, but it’s seemingly got worse… I’m not feeling it. Shut this shit down! To be honest, I didn’t even realize he had a restaurant in New York, so… I don’t think it’ll be missed.