Great Wall Chinese Restaurant closed after cockroaches were found throughout facility

MILLSBORO, Del. – Great Wall Chinese Restaurant in Millsboro has been closed by the health department after inspectors found cockroaches, spiders, flies, and beetles inside the establishment along with many other gross health code violations.

According to the Delaware Division of Public Health’s Office of Food Protection, a routine health inspection on Thursday, Oct. 19 found that the restaurant had multiple violations, including a serious problem with pests, specifically insects.

47 ABC News was able to obtain the health inspection report through a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request which detailed the many violations they found at the restaurant, located at 234 Main Street in Millsboro, Del.

There were cockroaches in all areas of the facility, according to the report, including in the bathroom, back room, main line, point of sale, and the dining room by the front entrance. Also found inside the restaurant were spiders, flies, and beetles. In addition to the living insects, inspectors also saw many dead roaches, spiders, and beetles as a result of recent pest control measures.

While there were pests found in the restaurant, inspectors also found multiple health code violations with regard to cleanliness and how food was stored throughout the facility.

A heavy build-up of grease, food-debris, or mold was found on all surfaces of equipment and food containers, according to the report. Mold and dust was also found in the walk-in condenser, according to inspector’s report, along with missing dates on containers of prepared food inside the unit.

Officials also made note that there were large bowls that were stored inside a utility/mop sink, the report stated, and that they could find no sanitizer bucket with wet soaking rags or spray sanitizer solution with towels on-site. There was also no sanitizer chemical found inside the restaurant yet food was being prepared.

Health officials ordered the immediate closure of the restaurant following the inspection last week. The owners were ordered to fix the many violations that were noted, including aggressive professional pest control measures to eliminate all pests from the establishment prior to re-opening.

A follow-up inspection was conducted this past Monday, Oct. 23 where inspectors again found live cockroaches and spiders inside the establishment. Over a hundred dead roaches, spiders, flies, and beetles were found in the restaurant, according to the report. They also found that cooking and baking equipment were not satisfactorily cleaned of food-debris, grease, dust, and dead pests.

Health inspectors noted that the owners had a local pest control company exterminate on Friday, Oct. 20 where they performed “intensive treatment for German roaches. 2,300 roaches exterminated.”

Seeing as the problem still existed at the time of the follow-up inspection, officials ordered the owners to have at least one more professional pest control treatment and clean all food-contact surfaces prior to calling for a re-inspection.

47 ABC News reached out to Great Wall Chinese Restaurant for comment and have not heard back.