PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The city's Department of Public Health has ordered Famous 4th Street Deli in Queen Village to cease operations. A glaring yellow-and-white striped notice has been pasted to the front door notifying the public that the business is in violation of the Philadelphia code.
"Famous" isn't just a name. The Jewish deli, founded in 1923 at the corner of Fourth and Bainbridge streets, has been a go-to spot for politicians on Election Day for decades. The deli has also been featured in movies and TV shows.
The business was shut down on Wednesday after an inspection revealed a number of violations, including evidence of rodents, termites and other insects.
"We tried to work with the purveyor before we took over. We always had a extermination crew. Clearly they didn't do enough maintenance for us, and we brought in a new crew," said Al Gamble, who purchased the business five months ago.
"We had a team of four here, sealing the outside of the building, making sure there are no penetrations, and doing a deep clean of the business, ceiling to floor, in every room."
In addition to the sanitation violations, there was a permit mixup involving the wrong paperwork being filed.
Gamble says his team has been working with the city to have the paperwork expedited. The target to reopen is at 9 a.m. Friday.
"Cleanliness and sanitation, especially in the hospitality industry, is nothing but the highest importance — and we want the consumer and our guests in our community to know that we take it extremely serious," Gamble said.
He says their action plan will not stop with their re-opening.
"We have a whole action plan laid out, ongoing, with this new company and my team, with designated cleaning sanitation procedures and working with the exterminators."
