A health inspection of the Legacy Sandwich Shop in Bangor found rat droppings and an infestation that forced the owner to voluntarily close the shop on June 16.
The Maine Center for Disease Control received a “rat-related complaint” on June 16 and inspected the restaurant at 163 State St. the same day, Lindsay Hammes, spokesperson for the Maine Department of Health and Human Services, said. The inspector issued an imminent health hazard to the Legacy following the inspection.
Droppings were found in the lobby, kitchen, prep area, shelving and basement, according to a health inspection report obtained by the Bangor Daily News. There was also evidence of gnawing on a box of corn starch. Because of the amount of droppings and gnawing, the health inspector determined there was a rat infestation in the building.
The state defines an infestation as “overrun with pests, in numbers or quantities large enough to be harmful or threatening to public health.”
The inspector did not find any rats, dead or alive, in the shop during the inspection.
Diane Bernosky, owner of the Legacy, did not mention the inspection in her Facebook post announcing the closure of the shop. This is the second time in less than a year that the shop has closed. The Legacy was known for Bangor’s iconic “coffee pot” sandwich, inspired by the sandwiches made for decades at the original Coffee Pot. The coffee pot sandwich is a Bangor specialty made with ham, salami, cheese and other toppings.
Bernosky did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the inspection.
The rats entered the building through unprotected doorways and windows and a large hole in the basement that was covered by tarps, according to the report.
The state also issued a rodent mitigation procedure the restaurant would have to follow if it were to reopen.
A former employee at the Legacy, Robert Kearns, previously said he quit his job at the shop the week before the inspection because of the rat infestation and the hole in the basement.
A “garage door” sized hole in the basement was not fixed during the several months he worked there, Kearns said in a Facebook video. Kearns said he found a dead rat on the floor of the shop one morning and also saw droppings around the restaurant.
Kearns tried to work with Bernosky to keep the restaurant open and clean, but ultimately quit because nothing was changing, he told the Bangor Daily News on Thursday.
“I really wish the owner had taken care of these issues so we could’ve kept this wonderful sandwich shop open,” Kearns said.
