SAIGON GRILL STILL CLOSED AFTER FAILING 3 INSPECTIONS
Saigon Grill can’t seem to get rid of its little critters.
We first reported nine days ago that the Vietnamese restaurant on 90th Street and Amsterdam Avenue had been closed by the city because of health violations. But the place remains closed more than a week later, as inspectors again found evidence that mice, roaches and flies continue to crawl and fly around. It was now been re-closed twice (restaurants tend to reopen within about 3 or 4 days of a closure).
Here are the results of the most recent inspection last week:
Sanitary Violations
1) Evidence of mice or live mice present in facility’s food and/or non-food areas.
2) Live roaches present in facility’s food and/or non-food areas.
3) Filth flies or food/refuse/sewage-associated (FRSA) flies present in facility’s food and/or non-food areas. Filth flies include house flies, little house flies, blow flies, bottle flies and flesh flies. Food/refuse/sewage-associated flies include fruit flies, drain flies and Phorid flies.
4) Facility not vermin proof. Harborage or conditions conducive to attracting vermin to the premises and/or allowing vermin to exist.
How about reporting on the BOYCOTT of the Saigon Grill — for wage theft and SWEATSHOP conditions? it is worth at least a MENTION in these articles.
http://sweatshopfreeny.tumblr.com/
do you think the boycotters are still out there complaining that the mice and flies are getting treated unfairly too?
Enough about the boycott. Now these employees have no job, but I guess that’s what you busy body protesters wanted all along. These protests never bothered me. I still ate there once a week. If/when they re-open, I will be there again, and no protest will stop me. Get a life.
How about the one on the menu? Do they need to remove that one as well? Stir Fried chuột?
As of Jan 29th Saigon Grill is serving customers. I did not see a health department sign at the entrance.
Bruce is right this place has been cited for underpaying its help.
If it cheats its employees, it clear that it is only thinking about the bottom line. It will cut corners where and when it can to save money. Cleanliness may be next to Godliness, but it does however costs money.
Any restaurant can have problems — this is New York after all. Roaches and mice have been here since the beginning of time. But,
being closed 3 times shows a lot lack of respect for the health and safety of its customers. This place should be closed and never allowed to reopen again.
I guess Tina has never stopped to talk to the picketers… if she did, she would find out that many of them are workers who have been fired from the Saigon Grill, who were denied even minimum wages and denied overtime pay, etc.
And most of the others are immigrant workers who face similar conditions at other restaurant “sweat shops” in the neighborhood.
But I’m glad to see Tina has “a life”.
Most West Siders who walk by the picket lines support the boycott. And there is no doubt that Saigon Grill’s business has suffered.
My basic complaint is that it was not good journalism for the West Side Rag to not even MENTION the boycott and the labor dispute surrounding this restaurant in the article.
Be informed about the facts: Saigon Grill management has a history of treating the workers unfairly and still owes former workers $1 million that was stolen from them by paying less than minimum wage. This is the reason for the protests and boycott, and this could have been settled a long time ago. The restaurant deserves NO support until there is justice here.
The Saigon Grill boycott validates the continuing injustice of unfair and abusive working conditions, as well as the non-payment of former employees who put in long , hard hours, and are still due reparations, which Saigon Grill has not honored. The boycott must be recognized as a protest against this ruthless and unrelenting callousness. The disrespect, Saigon Grill, has shown for their current and former employees is truly shameful.
Tina here, glad to hear they have re-opened, on my way for some La Sa Ga. BTW haters, most of my neighbors eat there, and we live a block away so we DO walk past the picketers. Oh, and I once bumped into a picketer (yes, by mistake) and he was texting on his new iPhone. Guess he got his tips paid?
I am a former customer of Saigon Grill. I have been boycotting Saigon Grill because I do npt want to enable their exploitation of workers. I choose to eat in restaurants that follow the labor laws that protect workers’ rights. The NLRB has filed charges against the owners of Saigon Grill for their disregard for labor laws.
I think Liz is right- a restaurant that is willing to break labor laws probably has no regard for health codes either. These violations are disgusting and wouldn’t think of eating there but I think what they are doing to their workers is worse. How many of us get fired or retaliated against for speaking up? We shouldn’t let them get away with it and give them our money.
La Sa Ga, mixed in with some roach and mice bits- sounds delicious. I rather go eat at one of the businesses that promise to be sweatshop free- http://sweatshopfreeny.tumblr.com/walloffame
I can’t believe it, for me, it is the best vietnamese restaurant in NYC.
Best restaurant ever i don’t care about mice lol they have to open ASAP there is no place where the food service and price can b better not fair