June 22, 2023 (GCDC) - Abyssinia Restaurant in Southwest Calgary restaurant was ordered to close by Alberta Health Services after a health inspector allegedly found a serious cockroach infestation in the kitchen.
AHS said Abyssinia Restaurant, an Ethiopian and Eritrean restaurant located in the Beltline, was issued a closure order after an inspection on June 13, 2023.
According to the inspector, there was an infestation of cockroaches at “various stages of life” in the kitchen, particularly the east interior wall. Pest monitoring records were not available for review, the report read.
The restaurant allegedly also had an accumulation of grease, soil, and food debris in the facility and baseboards were falling off the wall on the west side of the kitchen.
AHS alleged the owner, Ewinet Wendimaguehu, tried to obstruct the inspector from taking pictures of the violations during the inspection.
Wendimaguehu confirmed the closure but denied all the allegations. She alleged the inspection was prompted because someone recorded her without her knowledge receiving meat and injera (Ethiopian flatbread) from a supplier and lodged a complaint to AHS.
She told Global News she never obstructed the inspector.
“I don’t know why (the inspector) said what she said. This will kill the business I built,” she told Global News.
“We are always monitoring for cockroaches, and the inspector found some in a spot we couldn’t see.” Source: Global News