DETROIT – Following five weeks of being closed due to rats, Lafayette Coney Island will reopen after passing an inspection on Monday.
Original story: Lafayette Coney Island in Detroit temporarily shut down (again) due to rat infestation
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The popular Coney Island diner closed voluntarily Jan. 24. It was not the first time the iconic eatery was closed.
During a press conference Tuesday, March 4, Detroit city officials said the restaurant made significant improvements and will reopen later that day. Not only did the restaurant seal all potential openings that rats and other pests could get in, they deep cleaned and sanitized the entire facility.
The full press conference can be watched in the video player below.
The Detroit Health Department said Lafayette Coney Island met all necessary requirements to reopen.
Among the improvements are new lighting, modernized equipment, new floors, new paint and new food storage and waste management protocols. Lafayette Coney Island has introduced daily and weekly cleaning protocols to ensure that all areas of the restaurant remain sanitized and meet health standards.
“It’s night and day,” said Denise Fair Razo, the city’s Chief Public Safety Officer. “Everything is brand new, everything is sealed off and I feel really good about that.”
The restaurant retrained the entire staff -- including management -- on cleaning and food handling.
Additionally, pest control will come by weekly and look for potential issues.
When asked how Lafayette could regain customer trust, owner Sam Seferi said “They’ll come back. Yeah. There are no more concerns, I don’t think so. The way everything is fixed up, we are ready to go.”
Razo said the restaurant will have regular inspections from city officials.
“Lafayette is a staple and we want to maintain that,” Razo said. “The great thing about Lafayette is that they took this seriously and they really went ahead of us. And because they noticed a problem, they shut themselves down.”
Lafayette Coney Island will open at some point after 5 p.m. Tuesday, after the restaurant gathers the necessary supplies.
More information on Detroit’s Food Safety programs can be found here.
