“Filth” Closes First NYC Chick-Fil-A Outlet

Update below. Gothamist reports:

New York City’s first towering Chick-Fil-A has hit a stumbling block in its plans for domination of the city’s fast food fried chicken landscape. A Christmas Eve inspection by the Department of Health uncovered a host of critical violations, resulting in 59 violation points, squarely in C territory. On December 30th, the restaurant closed its doors, indicating it would reopen for breakfast on January 4th.

The five critical violations included food held at improper temperatures and food not cooled by an approved method. Filth flies, food not protected from possible contamination and soiled wiping cloths were also cited. A previously ungraded inspection earlier in the month returned with 39 violation points, indicating things got worse—not better—between the two inspections.

I had to look up filth flies. (Tipped by JMG reader TJ)

UPDATE: The store has remained closed.

A sign at the location initially told customers to expect the restaurant to reopen bright and early on Jan. 4, but the company issued a press release Monday morning announcing that the location remains temporarily shuttered.

“We do have a little more work to complete so we have made the decision to remain closed until we feel confident we are exceeding standards in all areas,” the company said in a press release concerning the New York City location.