One of the two popular Capriotti’s Sandwich Shop’s on the Upper East Side has been shut down by the NYC Health Department — ordered closed over unsanitary conditions, including violations over hand-washing, rodents and proper food safety training, discovered during the restaurant’s second inspection this month.
A bright yellow notice from the Health Department is now stuck to front door of the Capriotti’s Sandwich Shop located at 1711 Second Avenue, between East 88th and 89th Street in Yorkville. It reads in large capital letters “Closed by order of the Commissioner of Health and Mental Hygiene.”
Capriotti’s was ordered to shut down on Wednesday, March 29th, after racking up a total 63 violation points across nine sanitary violations during its inspection, three of them deemed critical. According to the inspection report, the restaurant has no hand washing station near the bathroom or food preparation area, no soap or acceptable hand drying device for staff.
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The restaurant, known for its ‘fanatically delicious’ subs made with heaping helpings of fresh ingredients, was also found by the inspector to have evidence of live mice and was noted as having conditions conducive to rodents, insects and other pests — it didn’t even have a contract in place with a pest control company or any records of exterminations required to be kept on site.
The sewage disposal system at Capriotti’s Sandwich Shop was also cited by the inspector as being in disrepair or not functioning properly, while a food preparation surface not easily cleanable, sanitized and maintained.
According to the inspection report, Capriotti’s also wasn’t using a shatterproof light bulb or shield to prevent broken glass from falling into food or onto surfaces, as required for lighting in food prep areas. Even the kitchen manager or supervisor was found to be not certified in proper food-handling safety, according to the Health Department.
Two and a half weeks earlier, during an inspection on March 10th, Capriotti’s on Second Avenue received 67 violation points for many of the same infractions, which would apparently go uncorrected in the day’s following.
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Upper East Site reached out Capriotti’s Sandwich Shop corporate public relations, which said in a statement that “Capriotti’s Sandwich Shop takes the health and safety of our guests and employees very seriously, and we are deeply sorry for any concerns caused by the recent health code violation at our establishment on Second Avenue.”
“We immediately took corrective action and addressed the issue as soon as it was brought to our attention and will continue to work with this location to ensure they are overdelivering on the health and safety standards before reopening to the public,” the popular sandwich shop explained.
“We want to assure our customers that we have implemented additional measures to prevent any future health code violations. This includes increased employee training on food handling and sanitation, additional cleaning procedures, and regular inspections by our management team,” Capriotti’s said.
“We apologize for any inconvenience or concern this may have caused our guests, and we thank you for your continued support.”
