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Joey’s Kitchen, Nikki’s Pizza on Maui allowed to reopen after addressing cockroach infestations

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                                Whalers Village

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Whalers Village

Two Maui restaurants have received the green light from the state Health Department to reopen after addressing a cockroach infestation on its premises.

Joey’s Kitchen at the Whalers Village food court in Lahaina, Maui, passed a follow-up inspection on Tuesday, according to officials from the food safety branch, and now has a green placard that allows it to reopen with certain stipulations.

Last Friday, inspectors discovered a severe roach infestation at the restaurant during a routine inspection, which resulted in a red placard and automatic closure.

Inspectors observed roaches throughout the kitchen and back storage area, including in a cook pot, under and on the cooking oil container, inside a paper towel dispenser, and on shelves and food containers, along with roach egg cases — all indications of an active roach population.

Joey’s Kitchen was actually one of two eateries at Whalers Village food court that received a red placard less than a month apart, officials said.

A routine health inspection of Nikki’s Pizza on Aug. 31 found an active roach infestation and other issues, including signs that rodents were present in the kitchen, which resulted in a red placard and automatic closure until violations were adequately addressed.

The department also issued Nikki’s Pizza a green placard last Friday after a follow-up inspection found no cockroach activity, with clearance to reopen, according to records.

Whalers Village has contracted a pest control company to conduct a pest bomb treatment of the entire food court, officials said.

Joey’s Kitchen was allowed to reopen, but must conduct pest control treatment and monitoring on a weekly basis, at minimum, to ensure it remains under control, officials said. Depending on the results, the restaurant may be able to move to bi-weekly pest control measures after a month.

In addition, Joey’s Kitchen must continue to clean areas underneath all kitchen equipment to remove any remaining food debris and grease accumulation.

Health inspection reports for Hawaii food establishments are publicly available for review at this link.

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