Roaches in food prep and service areas shuts down Johnstown restaurant
JOHNSTOWN, Pa. (WJAC) — UPDATE: The PRESS Bistro released the following statement on the business's Facebook page Friday afternoon:
Our dear friends, what a day it has been. We want to say thank you and send love and good vibes to all of our supporters. We can’t send enough love for all of the positive energy. We want you to know that we are always working diligently to provide the best experience for all of you. We pride ourselves in taking care of what is ours. Our staff is the absolute best and they work so hard preparing, cleaning and always making sure everything is up to our standards. We can’t LOVE them enough, they are everything. Unfortunately we have issues that we deal with everyday being in an old building like ours. We work together and try to control situations as much as we can...we always do the best that we can. We feel it really has shown, we have aced our health inspections for 7 years with teamwork. We pride ourselves on consistently having one of the cleanest kitchens (according to our friend Lindsay at the health department). We are going to continue to be one of the best for you, wether it is this location or another. We have worked very hard to try and bring something great to town. Please let the efforts be shown and help us continue to grow. Thank you all, no negativity on here please----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ORIGINAL STORY: Live and dead roaches found in food preparation and service areas during an inspection has led to the temporary closure of a Johnstown restaurant.
PRESS Bistro on Franklin Street was notified Friday that they had failed the inspection after the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture Bureau of Food Safety and Laboratory Services received an investigate complaint about issues at the restaurant.
Live roaches and live nymph were found in the cook line and dishwasher areas, while dead roaches were found behind the bar and in the register area, according to the bureau's report.
"The Retail Food Facility license will not be renewed until such time as this facility is compliant as per...regulations, and this facility may be subject to $150 or $300 inspection fees if a 2nd or 3rd follow-up inspection is necessary to achieve compliance," the report stated.
A notice on the door of the business posted by "Management" said they will be closed down for the weekend.
"The issue is being addressed by our landlord (the Cambria County Commissioners) and we will be reopened Monday," the notice stated. "We take cleanliness very seriously at PRESS and have always maintained the highest ratings from the (D)epartment of (A)griculture."
Cambria County Solicitor Bill Barbin released the following statement:
PRESS Bistro has operated out of the old Glosser Brothers building, now known as the Central Park Complex, since May 2013, according to their Facebook page.
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