DETROIT (WWJ) — More than two years after being ordered to shut down due to a rat infestation, Lafayette Coney Island in Downtown Detroit is once again being closed.
Officials with the Detroit Health Department said on X Friday afternoon they have been “working closely” with the restaurant “to address a rat infestation issue.”
While the department didn’t share any details surrounding the infestation, officials said an inspection was completed and the restaurant’s owners agreed to “voluntarily shut-down until all violations are corrected."
The department says that includes “a plan of action to prevent future violations.”
While Lafayette is closed, the restaurant will “undergo thorough cleaning, and address all structural issues, including permanently sealing all openings to the outdoors,” the department said.
A sign posted on the restaurant's door late Friday afternoon said "closed for remodeling."
WWJ Newsradio 950's Darrylin Horne reported she asked for comment from restaurant personnel, but they declined.
“Our priority is to protect the public's health and ensure that the establishment meets all safety standards before reopening. We appreciate the cooperation of Lafayette Coney Island as we work together to safeguard the well-being of Detroit residents and visitors,” the department’s statement said.
Back in September of 2022, Lafayette Coney Island was closed after failing a health inspection that was sparked by videos posted to social media showing rats inside the beloved restaurant, located right next to American Coney Island on Michigan Avenue near Campus Martius Park.
At the time, inspectors found multiple holes throughout the restaurant, which they believed the rats were using to get inside. Health department officials told WWJ in 2022 the restaurant closed voluntarily when they were asked, but after quickly reopening, inspectors forced a shutdown.
That closure lasted a little more than a month. A timeline for reopening this time around was not immediately clear.