Orient Pearl/Facebook
Orient Pearl
Part of the Orient Pearl, a large four-star rated restaurant on the Corniche, has been closed for two weeks for “preparing food under unsanitary conditions,” the Ministry of Municipality and Urban Planning (MMUP) said on its official website.
MMUP official website
MMUP closes external area of Oriental Pearl
The closure comes after videos were circulated online this week of stray cats roaming around and eating in the restaurant’s shwarma and fast food kitchen, which is located outside the main restaurant.
In a statement on its Facebook page, MMUP added that the kitchen was shut yesterday for violating specification standards. It is expected to reopen in 14 days.
Meanwhile, the main restaurant remains operational and open to the public. Orient Pearl has not yet responded to requests for comment.
Footage of the cats inside the kitchen went viral on social media earlier this week. After posting a clip on Facebook, online community members of I Love Qatar wrote:
“This is not hygienic! An ILQer sent this to us and was shocked to see cats eating out of the kitchen at the Orient Pearl. No staff, doors were not closed, and this is supposed to be a luxury restaurant.”
Health focus
Qatar has been cracking down on restaurants in recent months to preserve public health.
Last week, it permanently closed a restaurant in Musheireb and arrested the restaurant manager and staff working there after inspectors found rotting meat and food infested with insects.
Elysia Windrum
Marmara Istanbul during October 2014 closure.
And earlier this year, a Doha court found a popular Turkish restaurant and five of its employees guilty of selling food unfit for human consumption and ordered the individuals to be jailed, fined and deported.
Residents who believe they have suffered food poisoning from a restaurant can report their cases to the Supreme Council of Health hotline at 6674 0948 and 6674 0951.
Thoughts?
(The post Qatar’s Orient Pearl partially closed over video of cats roaming kitchen is from Doha News.)