Lafayette Coney Island to reopen following second rat infestation

Yahoo

05-03-2025

The Brief
Lafayette Coney Island is set to reopen next week.
Officials say the rat infestation has been solved, with a renovated basement.
This is the second time they have had an infestation since 2022.
DETROIT (FOX 2) - One of Detroit's most popular and oldest Coney Island's was closed because of a rat problem, but now the city says they can reopen.
What they're saying
The Detroit Health Department decided to call a press conference Tuesday to announce the reopening of Lafayette Coney Island, a month after the famous downtown attraction was shutdown due to a rat infestation. It cause led to the health department monitoring Lafayette Coney Island until they could get training and make repairs up to code.
What's next
The good news is that they were able to get there, according to chief public health officer Denise Fair Razo.
"It's night and day, literally from the new lighting, from the modernized equipment they have in place," she said. "And of course, we asked them to seal all potential pest entries."
The health department said that Lafayette passed inspection and took care of all the concerns addressed by the environmental health inspectors.
Everything downstairs has been replaced and is now all brand new.
"Everything is new," said co-owner Sam Sergei. "We closed everything, we fixed everything new floor like I told you everything."
The backstory
This was, unfortunately, not the first time rats have shut down the famous Coney Island.
In 2022, Lafayette Coney Island was shut down following a failed health inspection.
Then, rat videos from inside were posted onto social media and health inspectors found droppings inside.
Workers at Lafayette said the problem starts with rats from a nearby garden who make their way inside the two empty spaces in the building — and then through holes in the basement wall at Lafayette.
Customers at the Lafayette Coney Island recorded video of rats inside the renowned restaurant.
"I see rats, a mouse, Tom and Jerry," said customer Dion Hastie who watched the video.
Someone tagged the city's health department in the video, leading to them sending inspectors there immediately.
Lafayette should be selling its Coney dogs as early as Wednesday morning.
The Source
FOX 2 was at a press conference at the location and used information from previous stories.