Panda House restaurant now has a handle on its cockroach infestation, according to reports released yesterday by the restaurant and the state Board of Health.
After four treatments by an exterminator and an educational program for workers, Panda's lawyer David Cole said Panda's cleanliness is now "superlative" compared to other restaurants.
In a report given to The Dartmouth yesterday by Cole, Sanitarian Gary Quackenbush stated that Panda House was clean after a surprise visit on Dec. 20.
"The overall cleanliness of this facility is exceptional at the time of inspection," he said in his report, but noted that Panda House still had a couple of cockroaches in its kitchen and near the sushi bar.
In November, the New Hampshire Division of Public Health Services ordered Panda House to correct several sanitation problems including kitchen cleanliness and a severe cockroach problem.
Tiffany Lee, Panda House's owner, said business has declined significantly recently.
"The business has fallen off from Dartmouth students," she said. "It has had a tremendous impact on us."
She said Panda House is making a large effort to keep high standards of cleanliness and has dealt with the personnel problems contributing to substandard sanitary conditions.
Lee said she fired the worker who reportedly killed a cockroach with his bare hands and continued to make sushi.
"We're doing the best we can," she said, and added that anyone who wanted to could personally examine Panda House's kitchen.
Cole added that the restaurant instituted a "tremendous hand-washing educational program" to make sure employees wash their hands before touching food. "People don't wash their hands after every operation," he said. "That's human nature."
Cole said when Panda House first discovered the cockroach problem they called Presidential Pest Control several times, but received no response.
But John Gill, Presidential Pest's owner said, "I have no record of any calls from Panda House. I was covering that area at the time ... Our policy is to respond."
Cole said the restaurant then called Terminix, another pest control service. Terminix treated Panda House twice to get rid of the problem and has revisited two times since, Terminix's Service Manager Paul Callahan said.
"There were a lot of roaches, but now they've got it down a bit," he said. "We've got control of it and we have to maintain it."
The restaurant, which used to be treated once a month for cockroaches, now has a bi-monthly contract, Callahan said.
