Popular burger joint closes at Santana Row because of cockroaches
Google shows The Counter in San Jose is permanently closed.
SAN JOSE, Calif. - The popular, albeit pricey, custom-made burger joint, called The Counter, is closed at Santana Row.
It's not because of crime. Or dwindling sales.
It's because of cockroaches.
What we know:
That's the word from the Santa Clara County Department of Environmental Health, which conducted two inspections at the restaurant at 3055 Olin Avenue in San Jose this month, on March 13 and 16.
The inspector found nymph roaches around the cook line, adult roaches in the women's bathroom, more roaches under the ice machine, dead roaches at the bar and on top of trays within the refrigerated prep tables.
The inspector wrote that the person in charge of the restaurant at the time of the observation was told that the facility "must close immediately" because anywhere that serves food must be "free of vermin."
Efforts to contact the restaurant via email on Thursday morning were not immediately successful.
In an interview with NBC Bay Area, the restaurant manager said he has hired two separate pest control companies to get rid of the roaches, and the restaurant hopes to reopen soon after a follow-up inspection.
What's next:
In order to reopen, the restaurant must complete a checklist of remedies and return it to the inspector, according to the county. Otherwise, the restaurant will remain closed until there is written authorization is given to re-open. Google has already noticed The Counter's closure, by giving it a red banner with a "permanently closed" sign.
The Counter's design-your-own gourmet burgers cost roughly $25 and the restaurant is a franchise within a larger company headquartered in Scottsdale, Arizona.
Reviews on Google show that customers love the meals, many describing the food as "fresh, flavorful and well-prepared."