rats in Popeyes restaurant/Photo Courtesy of TikTok
In early October, a viral TikTok video uploaded to the social media platform exposed a Washington D.C. area Popeyes for having several rats running around in its kitchen. According to Business Insider, the restaurant has since been shut down, with officials citing food code violations for the closure.
Recorded by a delivery person for raw meat in D.C., the video, which currently has thousands of views and comments, features the man walking into the empty restaurant’s kitchen before turning on the lights. Multiple rats can then be seen
scurrying around the kitchen floor and up the walls, leading many to wonder why the particular Popeyes was still in operation despite an obvious rodent problem.@blaqazzrick01##popeyeschicken ##mickeymouse ##ratsfarm ##runandhide♬ original sound – blaqazzrick01
“You still love that chicken from Popeyes?” the delivery man stated in the two-minute video, joking about the fast-food restaurant’s slogan. “Because these motherf***ers is in here! I swear.”
Many took to social media to vent their disgust at the TikTok clip, with one user commenting on Twitter, “I counted nine rats in that D.C. Popeyes video,” along with a puking emoji.
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“D.C. has ignored their rat issue for way too long,” another person added. “In fact, D.C.’s ignorance to their rat issue has led residents to address the issue on their own via rat hunting dog crews. 99% Popeyes isn’t the only rat-infested establishment in that city.”
And while the video caught the public’s attention, it appears the restaurant’s local health department also took notice. Last Thursday, Oct. 28, the Popeyes location was officially shut down by the D.C. Department of Health, Business Insider reported. A yellow note on their doors reportedly read, “This establishment is ordered closed until further notice for a violation(s) of the district of Columbia food code regulations which presents an imminent health hazard(s) to the public.”
As of now, Popeyes has not commented on the viral video or restaurant closure. There’s also no word if the rat haven will reopen.