Mamie Taylor's, the Chinatown restaurant linked to a disturbing viral video showing what appears to be a rat carcass in a bowl of soup served at a Gastown eatery, has re-opened their doors, and cut ties with the restaurant using their on-site commissary kitchen.
Mamie Taylor’s/Facebook
The "rat in soup" video was posted on Instagram on the afternoon of Dec. 27, and soon was being widely circulated online and in the press. The video claims to show a customer spooning a rat carcass out of a bread bowl of soup served at Crab Park Chowdery.
The soup, however, is not prepared at the Chowdery itself, but rather the restaurant had been renting a kitchen space on the premises of Mamie Taylor's to prepare their soups and chowders for delivery to their Gastown storefront.
In the wake of the incident, Vancouver Coastal Health shut down Mamie Taylor's in order to conduct an inspection of the property; Crab Park Chowdery was permitted to remain open, since the soup was not made at that location.
https://twitter.com/VCHhealthcare/status/1079113085523189760
On Dec. 29, Mamie Taylor's was given the all-clear to re-open, and they've taken the additional measure to end their commissary rental program, and to cut ties with Crab Park Chowdery.
"In the six years Mamie Taylor’s has occupied this location, we’ve never had a situation such as this occur, either in our restaurant kitchen, or with any other tenant of our commissary kitchen," says Ron Oliver, owner of Mamie Taylor's.
Mamie Taylor's restaurant did not use the basement-level commissary kitchen they were renting to Crab Park.
"This unfortunate incident has made clear to us that we cannot rely on those businesses who lease our commissary kitchen to uphold the same standard of excellence as Mamie Taylor’s. As such, we will no longer lease commissary kitchen space to other restaurants and have severed business ties with Crab Park Chowdery," adds Oliver.
@pisun_ne_ne /Instagram
In the meantime, Crab Park has been using their food truck to prepare the soups on their menu, and say they are looking for a new commissary kitchen to rent.
"We can’t thank everyone enough for the huge show of support! It’s been amazing to see how many of you have stood by and kept an open and objective view on everything. We love you all and hope to see you down here for some delicious chowder soon!" the restaurant posted this weekend on Facebook.
Mamie Taylor's, which serves Southern-inspired American fare, is holding a ticketed New Year's Eve Pig Roast dinner on Dec. 31. The restaurant is open daily for Happy Hour and dinner, as well as for brunch and late night eats on the weekend.
