Cockroaches spotted in Popeyes in Detroit by DoorDash driver force eatery to shut down
A Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen in Detroit shut down this week after a DoorDash driver who was waiting for an order caught on video what appeared to be a cockroach infestation, as the bugs crawled over straws, utensils and to-go orders.
The eatery was closed Tuesday as a crew worked inside, according to WXYZ-TV (Channel 7).
The driver, who recorded the video on her phone at 12218 E. Warren Ave. and told the TV station she did not wish to be identified, said she saw a bug crawling "across the straws" and then more "over the counter, all over the utensils and all over the bags and things like that."
"I was shocked. I was disgusted," WXYZ reported the driver said. "I just couldn’t believe that they were even open."
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The driver said she alerted the workers about the bugs, and one of them used her shoe to smash one of the roaches, according to WXYZ. She said DoorDash required her to deliver the order, but the customer decided to toss it out when it arrived.
"This is completely unacceptable!" the Miami-based Popeyes said on Twitter. "This restaurant was run by an independent franchisee and has been shut down until it can provide our guests with the Popeyes standards and service they deserve."
The Detroit Health Department sent an inspector to the restaurant.
Roaches are not only bad for business, but they can migrate from one building to another.
In October, Wyandotte canceled trick-or-treating on a few blocks because there was a cockroach infestation, and the city feared that roaches might migrate to other homes if they were able to latch onto kids in costumes walking going door-to-door.
And in 2019, a Popeyes in Toledo closed — twice — after cockroaches and small flies were found.
Other Detroit restaurants have faced recent health concerns.
In September, a group rallied outside a coney island restaurant on Lafayette Boulevard chanting "clean it up or shut it down" in response to a recent shutdown by the city’s health department citing evidence of rodent infestation, including droppings and a video of rats scurrying inside the eatery.
Weeks later, after hiring professionals to rid the restaurant of infestations, Lafayette Coney Island reopened.
Contact Frank Witsil: 313-222-5022 or fwitsil@freepress.com.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Popeyes in Detroit closed after DoorDash driver spots cockroaches
