As soon as you walk into Jo's Brassiere in Brisbane, Australia, you can tell that this is a classy joint. Just look at the paint job they did on the dead rat lying on the kitchen floor, for example. Two coats of red paint and an undercoat of white. Now that's workmanship! Yes folks, believe it or not, health inspectors in Australia actually found a dead rat stuck to the floor and covered in red paint under the main serving area of the Gold Coast eatery this week.
Restaurant owner fined for painting over dead rat on kitchen floor
Photos: The infamous "Possum Lines" pictures show that rats aren't the only rodents whose death's are often painted over
Apparently, staff at the cafe had simply painted over the dead rodent rather than pick it up when it was discovered lying under the main serving area of the restaurant several weeks ago.
But the painted rat wasn't the only stomach turning sight discovered by the inspectors. Numerous other rodents, both alive and dead, were spotted along with rat faces which littered the entire food preparation area. Onlookers told reporters that the rodent-infested kitchen reminded them of the notorious Fawlty Towers episode, in which Manuel's pet ferret escaped during a health inspection.
A massive fungus growth crawling with cockroaches was also discovered and inspectors found evidence that meals had been scooped out of rubbish bins and re-served to customers. Another customer had complained that he had recently cut into a fish dish, only to find it had not been gutted or cleaned.
Inspectors said the discoveries were among the worst hygiene offences they had witnessed, and noted a "distinct musty rodent odor" near the servery. Southport Magistrate's Court found the restaurant and its owners guilty of gross breaches of the food standards code and fined them $30,000.
But amazingly, Jo's Brasserie was still open for business this week, however only one customer was spotted there on Wednesday - a reporter carrying a hidden camera was seated at its tables. Lunch anyone?
