LEWISTON — A co-owner of Marco’s at 12 Mollison Way is defending his restaurant, which failed a health inspection last week because of violations including cockroaches in the kitchen.
Duane Arnold told the Sun Journal on Tuesday that many of the details of the city’s report have been “blown out of proportion” over social media after local media outlets reported on the restaurant’s closure.
“We keep a clean kitchen, that’s just what we do,” he said. “But, it’s not always perfect because of the volume of business you’re doing.”
Marco’s Italian Restaurant in Lewiston Google Street View
Marco’s was ordered closed June 25, just a few days before the restaurant’s usual weeklong break for the Fourth of July.
According to a city report, Lewiston health inspector Louis Lachance found cockroaches in the kitchen “at multiple areas.” Pests in a kitchen is considered a critical violation, and according to the report, a third-party professional cleaner must be hired to disinfect the area, while a pest service must be hired to remedy the infestation.
Arnold said Tuesday that the inspection found “two pests in the dish area.” He said he’s not sure how the roaches ended up in the kitchen, and Marco’s had already hired a pest service to monitor the restaurant once a month, “whether we need it or not.”
“It wasn’t like there were hotels of these things kicking around,” he said, adding that he hopes to reopen Marco’s on Monday, July 8. “We’ve been in business for 40 years and we’ve never had an issue like this, and we’re going to do everything in our power to make sure we never again have an issue like this.”
A notice on the door and on the restaurant’s website Tuesday read, “Closed for equipment repair/replacement.”
The restaurant has passed its previous four health inspections dating back to 2014, according to the city’s website. According to the report, other violations deemed critical were “a food worker drinking from open beverage in prep area; food employees handling ready-to-eat foods with bare hands; and food on display not protected by packaging,” among others.
According to the report, Lachance will follow up with the restaurant Monday.
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