
The Genki Sushi Japanese restaurant chain was yesterday given a warning by the Food And Environmental Hygiene Department after a customer caught on camera a rat running close to the conveyor-belt circulating plates of fresh sushi in its branch in Langham Place, Mong Kok. The picture of the rat has been a hot topic in internet discussion forums. "All the food was disposed of and a thorough cleansing of the premises conducted. The restaurant was closed the following day to ensure hygiene reached a satisfactory level before it was reopened," said the company, which operates 29 Genki outlets in Hong Kong, as well as Sen-ryo, a premium conveyor-belt sushi chain. An FEHD spokeswoman said yesterday the restaurant had been inspected four times since January and there had been no complaints concerning hygiene until March 11 when officers were sent to inspect the premises. "We found no rat at the scene, but there were traces of rats," she said.