Health reports chase restaurant patrons

AT LEAST two restaurants were adversely affected yesterday by reports from the Public Health Department, with suppliers requesting monies owed from one, fearing that the business would be shut down. On Monday, the department released the names of 12 businesses which it said were visited by health inspectors who found certain standards were not in place. Among the businesses were KFC Independence Square; Dee Balo’s roti shop on Park Street, and Wing Kong Restaurant on Broadway, Port-of-Spain. Newsday visited the outlets yesterday. Nazimul Ali of Dee Balo’s said business was drastically affected due to reports that the shop was infested with roaches. He said the report was totally false, and provided a copy of the things the inspectors requested.

They included smoothening a part of the floor area in the kitchen, blocking off the employees’ toilet from the preparation area, and repairing a netted fly-proof door. They also asked that the stove, and stove top be de-greased. Ali said they complied, and the inspectors were to return last Monday but did not. He said the next thing he heard was the Port-of-Spain City Corporation had put his shop on a list of those infested with roaches. As a result, he said only about 15 percent of their customers patronised them and they also received dozens of phone calls from suppliers, “requesting immediate payment because they think we are closing down.” Ali, who is also a caterer for all-inclusive Carnival parties, prayed that business on that end was not affected, threatening “somebody will dead.” He said he employed 27 women, 17 of whom had between one to four children with no father figure in the house.

Ali said he had instructed his attorney, Azeem Mohammed, to seek legal redress from the Port-of-Spain City Corporation. The owner of Wing Kong, who gave his name as John, said the inspectors had requested a toilet be repaired. He said he complied, but the report had affected business. He said there were very few customers yesterday. One customer told Newsday, “I have been buying here for years and I never found anything in the food. Nothing has ever happened to me either.” A spokesperson at KFC said business was not affected, and there was the usual crowd, but the lines were visibly shorter. KFC was asked to relocate a store-room from a downstairs back area to upstairs. They had also complained about the vendors in front of the outlet. City police have managed to keep the vendors away during the day, but they return at night.