Arby’s Cited After Roach Found In Sandwich
Health officials have ordered an Arby’s restaurant in Colorado Springs to hire additional pest control services after a Wednesday inspection found evidence of roaches.
El Paso County Public Heath inspectors visited the store at 1312 N. Academy Blvd. after a woman said she found a live roach in her sandwich Tuesday evening. Inspectors said the store must bring in an exterminator within 24 hours but can remain open as usual. Pest control usually is done when businesses are closed.
According to the inspection report, a Pueblo firm provided monthly pest control service, but managers said they didn’t remember when the service was last there. The report also found “cleaning concerns” in the store. Inspectors will return at the end of June to check the effectiveness of pest control, and the store must contact health officials by Thursday about the 24-hour extermination service.
A business can be fined between $250 and $1,000 for committing a critical health violation such as having insects or rodents present. Health officials said such critical violations are rare, and they usually depend on the cooperation of a business to correct a problem.
“The link from (seeing) a roach to getting someone sick is very minor,” said Tom Gonzales, the county’s environmental health director. “There’s a level of concern, but it’s a lower concern than, say, some other things.”
The inspection report noted the store is at least 30 years old. It recently was bought by new owners in Oklahoma. The store has a relatively clean inspection record dating back to November 2009, with no similar violations found during three inspections.
Kim Thompson, a vice-president with the ownership group, said she was skeptical about the customer’s roach complaint, and was surprised to hear of roaches in the store because there had been no prior complaints and monthly pest control.
“It’s very unusual for a customer to have that kind of complaint and not return to the store to express it,” Thompson said. “We do take health and cleanliness seriously.”
The customer who complained, Courtney Gramm, showed KRDO Newschannel 13 the sandwich with the roach inside. Gramm, 19, said her grandmother killed the roach out of disgust, and explained why she did not bring the problem to store management.
“I thought it was better to get in touch with the health inspector first,” she said. “I’ve worked in fast food, and the managers and owners don’t always take the initiative to do something about it.”
Gramm said she doesn’t want to sue Arby’s. She just wants her money back and hopes the problem will be corrected.
“But my grandmother and I won’t eat there again,” said Gramm.
Restaurants receive regular inspections but health officials say a public complaint sometimes can be the only indication of a problem. If you have a restaurant complaint, contact El Paso County Public Health at 719-578-3199 or online at ElPasoCountyHealth.org.
