Rats make merry at Taco Bell outlet in New York

Rats make merry at Taco Bell outlet in New York
NEW YORK - First E.coli and now rats. Just when it looked that things were returning to normal at the various KFC-Taco Bell restaurants, a TV crew has filmed rats running amok at one of the outlets in Greenwich Village.

Situated on the 6th Avenue near New York University, the restaurant has been known for health code violations and is run by a franchisee. It was reported as recently as in December for harboring rodents and live cockroaches. Yum Brands, which owns KFC, Taco Bell and Pizza Hut, quickly swung into damage control mode, saying that the restaurant in question is undergoing some construction in the basement.

In a statement, the company said, "This is completely unacceptable and is an absolute violation of our high standards. We've talked with the franchisee, who is actively addressing this issue, as is evident by the preventative construction in the basement yesterday that temporarily escalated the situation."

The statement added that the restaurant will be closed till the construction is complete. "This store will remain closed until this issue is completely resolved. The health department inspected the restaurant yesterday and we will ask them to return when work is complete to give the restaurant a clean bill of health".

Share prices of Yum Brands dropped by 1 percent following the news as health fears over the Taco Bell brand increased. Last December, over 100 people fell seriously ill after consuming lettuce at Taco Bell, which were lined with E.coli.