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Fancy downtown restaurant Europea was slapped with $2,900 in fines from Montreal health inspectors, in part due to a dead rat found on the premises, according to a report in the Journal de Montréal.
The fines for prominent Quebec chef Jérôme Ferrer’s restaurant stem from an inspection from City of Montreal in October 2017. Very loose details of the fines are posted on Quebec’s Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Food website — one, for $1,700, is due to the presence of animals or animal excrement in the restaurants. Another $1,200 fine is for an issue of general cleanliness.
However, the Journal obtained the full report, noting that rodent excrement was found in Europea in an area where cloths were stored and near a vacuum-sealing machine, as well as a dead rat beneath a set of stairs in the kitchen. The dishwashing area also had dirt and mould around it.
The Journal story also notes that the initial inspector requested that Europea be closed for five days due to the presence of vermin, although it’s not clear whether the restaurant was ever forced to closed.
The two fines were finalized in September this year — fines typically take numerous months to process, so that a judge can hear the case.
The fines handed to Europea are fairly large, relatively speaking. A solid proportion of the fines that judges hand out are below $1,000, and while there’s no shortage of fines between $1,000 and $2,000 (individually, this is where Europea’s fines are), only a handful of restaurants are hit with higher penalties, often from multiple fines stacking up.
- Un rat mort dans le restaurant chic de Jerôme Ferrer [Journal de Montréal]
- Condamnations [MAPAQ]
- All Europea coverage [EMTL]
- Très Fancy Restaurant Europea’s Dining Room Is For Sale [EMTL]