French bakery chain Passion by Gerard Dubois has confirmed that it’ll be shutting its Tsim Sha Tsui branch temporarily after a video of a rat eating some of the pastries on the counter went viral.
In a statement published on the chain’s Facebook page on Thursday, they said the eatery would be closed until further notice for deep cleaning, and that they had contacted the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department for a meeting.
They also reassured customers that hygiene standards and food safety are a priority, and apologized for any discomfort caused.
The response came after the video of a rat chowing down on some cakes inside a display case began circulating online earlier this week. No one appears to be manning the counter at the time.
A spokesperson for the bakery confirmed to HK01 that they received an email and a link to the video on Wednesday, saying they were shocked by the incident and that it was unacceptable.
The spokesperson added that the Tsim Sha Tsui branch is located inside an older building, that rodents had been spotted in other parts of the building, but that this was the first time they received reports of a rodent their Tsim Sha Tsui branch.
They also confirmed that they have disposed of the relevant pastry counters.
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