Exclusive: New Haven Chipotle restaurant closed due to rats

NEW HAVEN, Conn. (WTNH) — A Chipotle in downtown New Haven has closed due to a rodent problem.

On any given evening, Chipotle is typically crowded with customers. But as soon as customers saw the sign on the door, a lot of them were caught off guard.

“That’s gross!,” Ann Curkawich, a customer, said. “I’ve eaten here. I work around the corner. I’ve gotten take-out from here plenty of times.”

Stephen Mihalek, a former customer, said that he stopped eating at the restaurant because of what he saw while walking his dog.

“We came by about 10 o’clock at night and we did visibly see rats or some kind of mice, this rodent running around the restaurant,” Mihalek said.

News 8 reached out to the restaurant, who said this in return.

“We temporarily closed our Chapel Street restaurant in New Haven due to the landlord not properly maintaining facilities in the shared spaces,” Chipotle said. “Since the health and safety of our employees and guests is our greatest priority, we made the decision to voluntarily close our restaurant.”

The Department of Health said that they are in contact with them and will ensure that they do a full re-inspection before the store can open again.

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