'This makes me want to vomit': Massive rat filmed in Sydney food court
A horrified diner has filmed a massive rat scurrying through a popular eatery in a Sydney Westfield shopping centre.
The footage was posted to Facebook on Wednesday, showing the rodent inside Din Tai Fung at the shopping complex in Pitt Street Mall.
The rat is seen through glass windows walking along a shelf in the kitchen.
“This makes me want to vomit,” the woman who posted the video said on Facebook.
“Never eating there again … and it was a favourite.”
Din Tai Fung has not responded to requests for comment but it posted a comment underneath the video which said it had stringent food safety protocols in place.
“We take this matter seriously,” it said.
“Once notified of this incident, we immediately activated our pest control specialists as well as professional cleaners to inspect and disinfect our premises as a priority.
“We are also conducting thorough investigations and improving measures in pest defence during post-operations hours.
“This is important as we already clean, disinfect and secure the kitchen on a daily basis, yet it’s clear we can do even better.”
Din Tai Fung said Westfield also arranged for pest control specialists to attend to the entire food court.
“We apologise for the situation and would like to assure our customers that we are doing everything we can, together with Westfield Sydney, to address this,” it said on Facebook.
Din Tai Fung voluntarily closes
A City of Sydney spokesperson said in a statement to Yahoo7 News it was made aware of the video on Thursday morning and it had not received previous complaints.
A city health inspector visited the eatery this morning and was informed the store had been voluntarily shut down.
“The city has also issued a prohibition order on the business. Din Tai Fung will be permitted to reopen following a satisfactory inspection. The city also spoke to a Westfield representative,” the statement said.
“It is the responsibility of individual food businesses and shopping centre management to eradicate vermin and prevent their entry into food premises.
“City of environmental health officers regularly inspect venues to ensure these responsibilities are being fulfilled, and can issue fines or order venues to stop serving food if they fail to comply.”
Din Tai Fung is a popular dumpling restaurant with stores in World Square, The Star, Central Park, Miranda and Chatswood.
Westfield told Yahoo7 News in a statement it was made aware of the incident earlier in the week and arranged pest control specialists to attend the area.
“In partnership with our retailers, we conduct regular and proactive pest control inspections using professional contractors,” a spokesperson said.
The latest incident comes after an Oporto in Broadway in Sydney’s CBD closed after a video was posted showing rats scuttling across the floor.
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