Sewage fills Lacey McDonald's
2 inches of water reported in kitchen; county OKs reopening
CHRISTIAN HILL
THE OLYMPIAN
LACEY -- Managers at a Lacey McDonald's kept its drive-through open for nearly an hour Sunday as sewage water flooded the food preparation area, according to a parent of two employees who worked that night.
But a company spokeswoman said managers acted immediately to close the restaurant and that the restaurant was completely sanitized before it reopened Monday morning.
Chevy Connolly of Lacey, whose son and daughter work there, said her daughter called her at 5:20 p.m. Sunday to say a sewer backup was forcing smelly water that included feces and toilet paper into the back area of the restaurant, which includes the grill and food preparation area, at 520 Sleater-Kinney Road. The water was up to 2 inches deep at one point, Connolly said her daughter told her.
The restaurant closed its lobby area to new customers within 15 minutes, but it wasn't until 6:20 p.m. that Connolly's daughter called a second time, saying the restaurant had just shut down its drive-through.
A company spokeswoman, Kim Bayer, said she talked to the manager and was told the lobby was closed immediately after determining the water wouldn't stop. Employees served the remaining 10 motorists waiting at the drive-through and then shut it down.
"Cleanliness is something we pride ourselves on," she said. "It's something that people count on at McDonald's, and that's why following procedures and policies is so important."
Health officials identified only one minor area of concern at the restaurant during two inspections in July and December 2004, records show.
Connolly said her daughter told her that employees used Shop-Vacs to clean up the water, and one employee was using a dustpan and brush to pick up the feces.
Connolly said she tried to call the county health department but couldn't get hold of anyone. She then called the Lacey Police Department, which transfers to 9-1-1 dispatchers after hours. The dispatcher told her they'd see what they could do and call her back. Connolly said dispatchers called her back to say they got in touch with the health department.
Later in the evening, Connolly's son was called in to work and continued to clean up the water. But he went home after declining to clean up wads of toilet paper found underneath equipment he moved, Connolly said.
Connolly's children declined comment.
Dispatchers reached an on-call health official who also called the manager and was told the restaurant was closed, said Darrell Cochran, a senior environmental health specialist for the county.
A check by the health inspector Monday morning found the restaurant properly cleaned and sanitized, he said.
"We're confident they've done that," Cochran said.
A plumber was called out to fix the problem, Bayer said.
The restaurant reopened its lobby at 8 a.m. Monday, and an inspector arrived about 9 a.m, Cochran said.
Cochran said the restaurant manager should have immediately notified county health officials about the situation to receive instruction on what actions to take. In the event of a sewage backup, the appropriate action is closure, he said.
Health inspectors will get back to the restaurant manager to review the situation and response, Cochran said.
This is not the first time such an incident has occurred involving a restaurant, Cochran said, and it's usually a customer or worker that notifies health officials, not the restaurant itself.
"Maybe we can use this incident to again get this information out that people in charge ... should be contacting us so we can work on the proper way to handle that situation," he said.