March 4, 2007
After first calling the rat infestation of one of its New York City KFC stores "an isolated incident," parent company Yum Brands is in full damage control mode. The company has forced the franchisee to close its other, uninspected New York area stores and has hired a rat control expert.
"We have engaged Dr. Robert Corrigan to thoroughly and independently review the application of the high standards we require of our operators in New York City," said Emil Brolick, President, U.S. Brands, Yum! Brands, Inc. "Dr. Corrigan is a renowned expert in the area of pest control in challenging urban environments and we look forward to his review."
Brolick said the company is also working in partnership with the New York City health department to head off future problems.
One day after a health inspector passed the KFC/Taco Bell store on 6th Avenue in Greenwich Village, passing consumers were horrified to see about a dozen rats frolicking on the furniture and scurrying across the floor.
The restaurant was closed at the time, but TV camera crews captured the sickening scene, broadcasting it over the air and across the Internet.
"We will continue to insist that all ADF restaurants in New York City are fully inspected and given a clean bill of health before they are re-opened. Nothing is more important to us than our customers' health and safety," said Brolick.
"We apologize to our customers and want to reassure them that we have been working around the clock to prevent this from happening again."
