New Yorkers love their bagels, and as Inside Edition has discovered, apparently so do the rodents.
By simply shining our flashlights through restaurant windows after hours, the Inside Edition ‘Rat Patrol’ found rodents in more than a dozen New York City restaurants, including an infestation at the East Side Bagel Café, a popular eatery on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, which had an “A” grade by the city’s health department.
But Inside Edition's Chief Investigative Correspondent Lisa Guerrero said it was easy to spot the rodents running around inside the eatery.
“You have to worry about the food prep areas in the restaurant,” world renowned rodent expert Bruce Colvin told Guerrero.
Read: 'Rat Patrol' Captures Startling Video of Rodents Running Around Restaurants at Night
When Inside Edition showed an East Side Bagel Café manager our video, he denied it was his kitchen at all.
“Look at all there rodents scurrying around," Guerrero said. "That took place in your kitchen the other night."
“This is not my kitchen,” he said.
Even as she insisted, he kept denying it.
When Inside Edition alerted the New York City Department of Health, their "A" rating came down and a "closed" notification went up instead.
The place was temporarily closed down.
At Strokos Deli, just a block away from Inside Edition's offices on the West Side, we also found rodents foraging for food night after night.
After looking at Inside Edition’s video, a supervisor acknowledged the issue.
“It is a big problem,” he said.
The owner of Strokos told Inside Edition it's a city-wide issue that has been made worse by nearby construction. But they have a weekly exterminator and have addressed the problem.
Read: Cop and Mouse Game: Woman Pulls Over, Calls 911 After She Discovers Rodent in Car
The New York City Health Department says that whenever they see evidence of rodent activity, they take swift action.
Colvin told Inside Edition it's possible for restaurants to control rodent populations.
“It takes vigilance and hard work, but it can be done,” he said.
