The state Department of Health has shut down the L&L Drive Inn in Captain Cook after discovering an active roach infestation, a suspected sewage backup and several other health violations in the restaurant.
According to a DOH new release, a member of the public submitted a complaint about the restaurant — located at 81-6224 Mamalahoa Highway in Captain Cook and owned by one Tai Zhun Chen — to the department on Aug. 1.
Upon a subsequent inspection, the DOH discovered multiple health violations including a liquid that looked and smelled of wastewater leaking into a dry storage area through its floor tiles, a non-operational hand-washing sink, surfaces saturated with grease and other maintenance problems.
In addition, the inspector also saw live roaches throughout the kitchen on food and food-contact surfaces.
The DOH’s Food Safety Branch issued a red placard to L&L Drive Inn on Aug. 2, shutting down the restaurant until it can correct its violations. Those corrections include discarding all contaminated food products, a thorough cleaning of all food-contact and non-food-contact surfaces, repairing the sink, sealing all cracks, crevices and holes into the building, contracting pest control services to remove the infestation, and more. A follow-up inspection is scheduled for today.