No Food Violations At Toms River Popeye's: Health Department

TOMS RIVER, NJ — An inspection at Popeye's Lousiana Chicken on Route 37 in Toms River Monday resulted in minor violations but no signs of the unsanitary conditions , rotting food and bugs at the restaurant alleged in a viral social media post on Sunday.

Brian Rumpf, director of the Ocean County Health Department, said inspectors went to the restaurant Monday morning following several emails sent to the department sharing the Facebook post by Tajanea Davis that included photos and videos she said depicted conditions inside the restaurant. The photos appeared to show bugs on the food, in a storage area, maggots and filthy conditions. The post spread rapidly and had been shared more than 11,000 times by the end of the day Monday.

While investigators cited the restaurant for several minor violations, "they had nothing to do with food," Rumpf said.

"There was nothing that reflected what was depicted on social media," he said. The minor violations involved items such as a leak that has to be fixed, but it didn't involve contact with food, and a door that did not shut properly.

"We will be following up," said Rumpf, who said he was expecting to have the full inspection report on Tuesday.

Davis, who said she had been working at the restaurant since it opened in June but quit over the weekend, said employees had complained about the kitchen conditions to no avail. She alleged the food that has been served since early August has a foul odor.

"The cooks have been complaining that the nuggets/boneless & tenders stink like rotten eggs (its worst then that the smell is unimaginable)," she wrote. "Every shift I literallly have to fight with bugs gnats & these little black bugs which I was told were water bugs but I really don’t know what they are."

The manager at the restaurant, Mohammed Faisul, said some of the photos were taken at the very end of the day, before cleaning had been completed. Others, he said, had not been taken at the restaurant and that the photos had been posted just trying to make the restaurant look bad.

Tahsheen Mehman, the franchise owner, said there had been issues with employees not following corporate rules regarding cell phone use and other issues. That included the employee Davis alleged was sending photos of his genitals to other employees including some who are minors, he said.

"There were some bad apples," Mehman said. "We tried to rectify that, and they tried to make us look bad."

"Truth is truth," he said, referring to the results of the health department inspection. In addition to the health department, Mehman said officials from Popeye's corporate office were at the store as well.

Davis said the photos are time-stamped as to when she took them.

"Regardless, chicken isn't supposed to look like that," she said Monday afternoon.

Mehman, who owns eight Popeye's franchises and said he has been in business for 25 years, did not directly address the allegations about the employee sending photos of his genitals to other employees, deferring those questions to his human resources department. A request for comment left at a number he provided was not returned. The Toms River Police Department said the matter is under investigation and but could not comment further.

The restaurant opened in late June. Rumpf said issues sometimes arise with new restaurants as employees learn food handling procedures and sanitation. He said Popeye's was revisiting that training with its employees.

Rumpf said health department investigators were met by the store management, along with the franchise owner and representatives from Popeye's corporate office.

Rumpf said the health department, which had inspected Popeye's on Aug. 30, will be following up again because of the other violations.

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