News Center 7 investigation uncovers history of insects at Dayton restaurant

A News Center 7 investigation uncovered a history of insects at a Dayton restaurant.

Tiffany Warner, a former employee at 'Golden Fish and Chicken' next to the RTA Hub on Main Street, took cell phone video in June which she says shows dirty conditions inside the restaurant. There's also a container of insect spray sitting next to bottled drinks on the floor.

"Nobody should be eating the food from that restaurant," Warner said. "I saw roaches crawling on a spatula."

Warner only worked one day at 'Golden Fish and Chicken." She claims she left because she was disgusted, but restaurant managers said she was asking for more money than they could pay.

News Center 7 went through inspection reports from Public Health Dayton & Montgomery County dating back two years. Complaints started in February 2016 when a customer says they saw bugs. Inspectors checked, but they didn't find any.

In June 2016, they found a 'live pest' during a standard inspection. Two weeks later, the restaurant's owner brought in proof he hired an exterminator.

Another complain shows up in May 2017, when a customer says they found a bug in their food. Two days later, inspectors found two live bugs in the kitchen and food areas of the restaurant.

A follow-up at the end of July 2017 turned up no violations. The owner told inspectors he will regularly hire an exterminator.

News Center 7 was asked to leave by RTA security when we took those inspection reports to the restaurant. Later on the phone, the manager of 'Golden Fish and Chicken' told us the bugs came from the RTA Hub, not the restaurant. He also stressed the most inspection report showed no signs of insects. The manager said the employee who shot the video was disgruntled.

RTA CEO Mark Donaghy responded to our request for comment.

"RTA's tenants are responsible for maintaining the areas they lease in our facilities as well as compliance with health department regulations if they serve food. Tenant space at Wright Stop Plaza is in the new section of the building with no direct connection to the American Building tower and RTA regularly maintains our areas of responsibility. If our tenant is unable to meet the obligations of their lease we will consider releasing them from it or terminating the relationship as necessary if the problem is not resolved," Donaghy wrote.

Public Health Dayton & Montgomery County Public Information Officer Dan Suffoletto said inspectors check restaurants as soon as possible after a complaint.

"It does happen, just like it happens in your home. Bugs get into your home, bugs get into a restaurant," Suffoletto said. "We don't want bugs in food. We want to make sure everything people eat in a restaurant is safe for them to consume."

Suffoletto said if inspectors find bugs in food, they require restaurants to throw it away immediately. If inspectors find bugs in the restaurant but not in the food, "No food needs to be thrown away at that time," Suffoletto said.

The restaurant would not be shut down. Instead, inspectors teach employees about pest control. Unless they get another complaint, inspectors would then return in six months for another unannounced check.