Another Spadina Restaurant Closed Over Health Concerns
Posted October 16, 2008 12:00 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Exactly a week after you lost your appetite over the appearance of rats crawling around the Happy Seven restaurant in Chinatown, Toronto Public Health officials have been forced to close down yet another popular eatery.
This time Swatow, located near Spadina and D’Arcy Sts, had its doors closed after an apparent cockroach problem. It was bad enough that officials had to hand out one of the dreaded red cards that force a business to close until the concerns can be cleaned up.
“I’m not too sure what to think because, you know, I’ve been coming for years,” said one disturbed local. “The food is really good. It’s always fresh. I’ve never had a problem.”
The closing of Swatow follows a series of discoveries CityNews brought you last week that led to the closure of the Happy Seven, where rats were seen openly running around the floors and in the windows. It remains out of business as the owners struggle to clean up the source of the infestation, but could be opened as early as this weekend.
The closing has hit the owner hard in pocketbook.
“That’s the bad thing about it…because no business, no money,” she said. “I spent a lot of money to fix my restaurant.”
Several other places have also been closed and then reopened in the blitz that began with that now infamous video. But it’s clear some parts of the city have major problems that need to be addressed and that the inspection system may not be working quite as well as Toronto officials had hoped.
Here’s where you can check out the cleanliness rating of any outlet in the city.
To find out how to complain about a restaurant you think may be suffering from similar problems, click here.
