The city of Newark and the Delaware Division of Public Health have allowed a fried chicken restaurant to reopen after an August kitchen fire shut down the business for nearly a month.
Bonchon Korean Fried Chicken at The Grove at Newark, formerly College Square Shopping Center, was allowed to resume operations Monday after health inspectors and city fire/code enforcement officials deemed the restaurant no longer had “imminent health hazards.”
“We are back!” read a post on the restaurant’s Facebook page on Tuesday. “We are up and running! Thank you for your patience.”
Bonchon, a new, fast-casual restaurant serving deep-fried chicken, opened in early July. It’s part of a chain that has been operating in Korea since 2002. This is its first Delaware location.
Newark restaurant closed:State closes Newark’s Bonchon chicken restaurant for ‘imminent health hazards’ after fire
The Division of Public Health office received a call on Aug. 24 from the city of Newark Code Enforcement as well as from the owner of Bonchon Korean Fried Chicken regarding an Aug. 21 fire, according to a state inspection report.
The restaurant owner told a state health inspector that a fire that began around 1 a.m. on Aug. 21 severely burned a deep fryer, but fire alarms did not go off.
The fire left a large black mark on the side of a refrigerator and black soot was found on plastic forks, to-go containers, floor and equipment. Grease deposits also were found on a work table next to the deep fryers.
A cease-and-desist order was issued, effective immediately, after the Aug. 24 inspection, according to state public health records. The city of Newark’s fire/code enforcement officials also said at that time that they “identified several issues with the fire suppression system that requires correction.”
The Division of Public Health told the owner to replace the damaged equipment; discard all food and open items that have been contaminated by soot and smoke debris; and clean and sanitize all utensils, cooking equipment, floor, walls and ceilings.
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According to a Sept. 19 health inspection follow-up report, the restaurant has complied with all of the state’s requests.
The deep fryer was replaced, and the kitchen cleaned and sanitized.
“All food has been discarded since they have been closed,” read the report. “Bonchon Korean Fried Chicken may resume operation.”
Contact Patricia Talorico at ptalorico@delawareonline.com and follow her on Twitter @pattytalorico.
