Havensight's Ocean City restaurant, which reopened its doors Wednesday evening after being closed nine days for health violations, appeared squeaky clean but totally deserted at lunchtime Thursday.
Owner Simon Chang appeared delighted, however, at being in business again. "No ships today," he said, by way of indicating the lack of a lunch crowd. How about Wednesday night?
"Oh," he said, smiling again, "last night we had customers." And did all on the staff have their food-handler cards?
Another smile. "Oh, yes, everybody."
Chang got an assist from an unexpected quarter when Environmental Health Division inspector Ethlyn Joseph – who had closed the establishment last week – arranged for him to get an exterminator and a steam cleaner. She said she took the action this week because "I knew they hadn't really gotten professionals in the place when they couldn't show me the receipts."
From the day after the closing, "They kept calling me back for inspections, and I would go there and it was the same – roaches everywhere," she said. "So, I decided to take a hand."
Joseph said Wednesday she had gotten the Ocean City management to hire one more cleaning company to haul out the last of the roaches and their leavings that she had found in a reinspection. She then allowed the restaurant to open in the early afternoon, but Chang waited until the dinner hour to put out the "Open" sign.
Joseph said she was glad to see the restaurant clean and back in business. But, she added that she would be stopping by again shortly "to look at the mirrors."
