New York City has suffered from a rat infestation in recent years — to the point that city officials announced a few months ago that they were considering hiring a “rat czar” to help curb the problem. But did a rat really make its way into the popular restaurant’s soup? This is the charge taken by a patron of Gamiyok, a dining destination in the heart of Manhattan’s Koreatown. Eunice Lucero-Lee posted photos and a video on Instagram of what she claims she and her husband ordered from the restaurant, via delivery, with a dead rat floating around. “[We] Found the most disgusting thing in our food,” Lee said in his post. But the story doesn’t end there. Lucero-Lee said on Instagram that the couple filed a lawsuit against the restaurant and reported the situation to the New York City Health Department. MarketWatch was unable to reach Lucero-Lee for comment. The health department closed the restaurant on March 15. In a statement to MarketWatch, the department said, “No restaurant in New York City is authorized to have mice or rats on the menu and we are investigating further. Our top priority is protecting the health of New Yorkers, and if a restaurant has conditions that put diners in our city at risk, it will be closed. The department’s closure notice, posted online, noted that there is “evidence of rodents or live rodents in food or non-food areas of the establishment.” The notice also cited other issues, ranging from food not being kept at the correct temperature to food being consumed from “unapproved or unknown sources, prepared at home or prepared at home”. On his Instagram page, Gamiok said, “We checked the entire process of making the soup, but we didn’t find any problems.” The restaurant also indicated that it had tried to reach a resolution with Lucero-Lee and her husband, including a refund for the order and a $100 gift card. MarketWatch reached out to Gameiock via Instagram for additional comment about the situation and the shutdown but did not immediately receive a response. Lucero-Lee and her husband have patronized the restaurant for a decade, she added in her Instagram post, “and are otherwise proud supporters of Asian cuisine and culture.” “This incident can in no way be used to incite race-based hatred or prejudice and I would have a problem with anyone using this post to fit that narrative,” she wrote.
