Rampant Rodent Feces Shut Down South Philly Bar
Plus, the completely unnecessary return of Roy Rogers restaurants.
The Philadelphia Health Department shut down the Pub On Passyunk East (aka POPE) on Tuesday.
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Rampant Rodent Feces Shut Down South Philly’s POPE (aka Pub on Passyunk East)
OK, I’m going to try my absolute mature best to get through this without making any “POPE poop” jokes. Let’s see how it goes.
On Wednesday night, we had a going-away party for our now-former editor-in-chief Brian Howard. We were debating between Bob & Barbara’s and The Pub on Passyunk East (POPE). We ended up choosing Bob & Barbara’s. And it sounds like it’s a good thing that we did.
On Tuesday, the Philadelphia Department of Health shut down POPE. I see a lot of restaurant inspection reports, and many times, the violations seem petty and minimal. But this was not the case with POPE.
According to city records, the health inspector found rodent feces. And not just a mouse turd here or there. The inspector wrote that mouse feces were observed “throughout” the floor in the food prep area. Ew. There were also rodent feces under the counters, under prep tables, and throughout the basement. Also, flies.
The inspector also found “potentially hazardous food” in the walk-in cooler and food held at potentially unsafe temperatures as high as 59 degrees rather than the required high temperature of 41 degrees. And then there were old, undated ready-to-eat chicken and dips, which were thrown away on the spot.
The Health Department shut down POPE at 7:10 p.m. on Tuesday. And the bar has to wait 48 hours before requesting a new inspection, after which POPE may be allowed to reopen.
Don’t Want to Cook on Thanksgiving?
No worries. Here’s a thorough guide to Thanksgiving takeout options. Want to eat out on Thanksgiving? There’s a guide for that as well. Just remember to tip generously, since your server is spending their Thanksgiving with you.
By the Numbers
1: Number of Roy Rogers locations in the immediate Philadelphia area that will exist once this one opens in Cherry Hill. I’m sorry, but does anyone actually want a return of Roy Rogers?
60: Minutes it took us last night to get more rain than we had in the two months prior. No, we’re not out of the drought!
600: Medical malpractice lawsuits we could see in Philadelphia this year. That’s… a lot. Actually, 46 percent more than we saw pre-COVID. Well, at least the lawyers are happy.
Local Talent
When I heard that West Philly native Colman Domingo (Euphoria, Fear the Walking Dead, Rustin, Sing Sing) was playing Michael Jackson’s father in the Michael biopic set for release in 2025, I wondered how Domingo felt about the film and the potential for backlash to it, considering the accusations of pedophilia against the late pop star. In a new interview with Variety, Domingo defends the movie and says “everyone has a story to tell.” I guess my main question is, how will the movie deal with these troubling allegations?
Ed. Note: An earlier version of this article misstated the maximum temperature allowed for food storage.
