UPPER EAST SIDE — Sprinkles Ice Cream was shuttered by the Health Department last week for not having a sink to clean utensils, the agency said.
The ice cream shop at 782 Lexington Ave., near 60th Street, was closed after a July 9 inspection for not having a separate sink to wash equipment, records showed. The store was instead using a sink at the bakery next door to wash utensils, a DOH spokesman said.
"Sprinkles Ice Cream was closed due to a public health hazard that could not be corrected at the time of the inspection," the spokesman said. "[Sprinkles] only had one sink in the kitchen for hand washing, and the health code requires a separate sink for ware washing to prevent cross contamination and reduce the risk of food borne illness."
The store will be allowed to open once the problem is fixed, the spokesman added.
The adjacent Sprinkles Cupcakes bakery remained open. A sign posted on the window of the ice cream shop suggested the business would be up and running shortly.
"In an effort to be fully transparent, we want you to know that this issue is a permit discrepancy based on equipment placement," the sign reads.
"We have not added or removed equipment since opening 16 months ago when we received our health permit. We have passed all of our health inspections with the highest grade 'A' since opening."
Sprinkles has two cupcake locations and one ice cream shop in Manhattan, as well as 15 other outposts across the country.
The manager of the store did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
