After a forced closure this weekend by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health due to a vermin infestation that was in violation of health and safety codes, Rock and Reilly’s in the USC Village has reopened.
According to the department’s website, Rock and Reilly’s received 14 points and a major violation for being guilty of section 114259.1, which states that “the premises of each food facility shall be kept free of vermin.” Another major violation was issued for failing to keep food contact surfaces “clean and sanitized,” but only 4 points were given for this offense.
The LA County Department of Public Health uses a scale of 100 to measure violations. Facilities that receive below 70 points on inspections see immediate closures.
In a statement to Annenberg Media, Rock and Reilly’s manager, Gabby Rodriguez, attributed the presence of vermin to a fumigation activity.
“Rock & Reilly’s has always prioritized public health and safety. In nearly eight years of serving the USC community, we’ve consistently earned perfect grades on every health inspection,” Rodriguez wrote. “On Friday morning, building management fumigated a trash room located in a hallway adjacent to our restaurant. As is typical after fumigation, brief pest activity occurred in that shared hallway. About 90 minutes later, during a routine inspection, the Health Department observed this activity.”
The kitchen was forced to close Saturday as California law stipulates that “a food facility that has been closed and its permit suspended shall remain closed until it has been determined by the Department that the violations that warranted the suspension have been corrected.”
“We regret being closed during a major game weekend — a closure caused by circumstances entirely outside of our control — and we’re deeply grateful to our loyal guests and the Health Department for inspecting and confirming ‘No Activity’ status so quickly,” Rodriguez wrote.
After working with the fumigation company Orkin and the Department of Public Health, Rodriguez confirmed the restaurant was allowed to reopen Sunday.
“Our contracted pest control provider, Orkin, had reported ‘No Activity’ just two days earlier and confirmed the same again after multiple follow-up visits over the weekend,” Rodriguez wrote. “The Health Department also re-inspected and cleared us with “No Activity” to reopen on Sunday.”