Detroit — The Lafayette Coney Island has been cleared to reopen after voluntarily shutting down in late January because of a rat problem, according to the Detroit Health Department.
The restaurant, a Detroit destination for locals and tourists, passed a Detroit Health Department inspection on Monday but remained closed Tuesday afternoon.
The diner, located on Lafayette Boulevard just west of Campus Martius in downtown Detroit, closed voluntarily on Jan. 24 due to a rodent infestation.
The establishment made “significant upgrades” to ensure cleanliness and health safety and passed inspection on Monday, the health department said in a Tuesday news release.
“Lafayette Coney Island took the responsible step of voluntarily closing after our Environmental Health Inspectors identified health concerns,” Chief Public Health Officer Denise Fair Razo said in a news release, indicating the restaurant was cleared to reopen. “We will continue working closely with Lafayette Coney Island and all restaurants to address any issues and maintain a safe dining environment. Ensuring the safety of our residents is a top priority.”
Staff at Lafayette Coney Island completed food safety and sanitation training, implemented daily and weekly cleaning protocols, and the diner made repairs to prevent pests from entering the restaurant, including sealing gaps and addressing structural issues, according to the health department.
The city’s Dining with Confidence ordinance, which went into effect last October, encourages restaurants to raise awareness about inspection results with public placards. Over 1,000 restaurants in Detroit have been awarded a green placard, signifying high standards of food safety, to date, according to the health department.
Detroit City Council member Scott Benson said the Lafayette Coney Island has a long history of serving Detroiters and it’s great to see the restaurant get cleared to reopen after working with the health department.
“One of the reasons we worked extensively with our restaurant community on the Dining with Confidence placard program was to instill not only confidence in the dining public about the cleanliness and food safety of our restaurants, but also to ensure that our eateries work with the Detroit Health Department if they have trouble complying with the health code,” Benson said in the news release. “Earning a green placard for meeting compliance standards tells the public you take their safety seriously and will lead to business success in our city.”
The health department also conducts routine inspections every six to 12 months, and those that fail to correct violations face enforcement actions, the news release said.
In January, the Department conducted at least 128 routine food safety inspections, 20 of which were not in compliance, according to the city of Detroit. There were at least 12 pre-opening and review inspections and 12 inspections following complaints in that time.
The Lafayette Coney Island has been forced to shut down at least twice because of rat issues. It closed for more than five weeks between September and October 2022 after the health department received reports of rodents running around it.
The restaurant previously patched holes, fixed broken tiles and hired professional cleaners to prevent rats from a nearby garden from gaining entry.
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