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Read the press release here.

City Briefly Shuts Down Midtown Sushi Shop for Live Roaches

By Gwynne Hogan | September 15, 2015 3:43pm
 After failing two consecutive inspections, Fuji Sushi on 56th Street was allowed to reopen on Sept. 11, records show.
After failing two consecutive inspections, Fuji Sushi on 56th Street was allowed to reopen on Sept. 11, records show.
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DNAinfo/Gwynne Hogan

MIDTOWN — A midtown sushi restaurant that had been wracking up health violations for months when inspectors found evidence of rats, roaches and mice was shuttered for three days last week, records show.

Fuji Sushi, located at 238 W. 56th St., was forced to close by the Health Department on Sept. 8 when inspectors found live roaches in the restaurant. 

The restaurant's spotty inspection record dates back to April when inspectors found evidence of mice, live roaches and evidence of rats in the facility, according to records. In three subsequent inspections, Health Department officials continued to find live roaches, records show.

After it was forced to close on Sept. 8, the restaurant failed a subsequent inspection on Sept. 10, with roaches still cited, records show. 

On Sept. 11, workers managed to clean up their act and pass a third inspection with only two violation points, a drastic drop from the 29 it had earned the day before.

The restaurant was allowed to reopen with a grade pending designation by the Health Department.

A cashier at Fuji Sushi, who declined to give his name, said that dealing with roaches and rodents in old buildings, especially ones located near subway stations, is an ongoing issue that plagues many restaurants. 

"It's something that in Manhattan, you're exposed to," he said. "You can't keep up with it."

He also said that he thought restaurants took the brunt of violations, whereas the city or the buildings' landlord should be fighting harder to combat infestations. 

"Right now you've got a lot of people complaining on the Internet," he said. "They don't know how hard it is to run a business."

Fuji Sushi will have to be re-inspected in the upcoming weeks in order to receive a grade.