A popular Main Line Chinese restaurant will reopen at lunchtime Wednesday after a serious roach infestation shut the eatery down for two months.
Yangming, a longtime Bryn Mawr stalwart that was in 2011 named a "best Chinese restaurant" by Chinese Restaurant News, gave a tour of its newly renovated space on Tuesday.
Authorities shuttered the restaurant in August when Yangming employees called police over a customer dispute after a patron was served noodles with a roach in them not once, but twice, according to officials. When police arrived for the dispute, "there were roaches that were in plain sight" in the restaurant, Radnor Police Lt. Andy Block said at the time.
Radnor Township health officials immediately closed Yangming indefinitely and posted a health citation in the front window that listed "Gross Facility & Equipment Sanitation" and "Insect/Rodent Infestation" as reasons for the closure.
The next day, police could be seen removing roaches from the restaurant in plastic bags.
Yangming's general manager on Tuesday blamed the insect problem on an old building and a pest-control company that didn't properly do its job. When NBC10 asked the name of the pest company, however, he said he didn't recall it.
Since the closure, Yangming has undergone extensive renovations including updating and cleaning kitchen equipment, food storage areas and refrigerators, said a news release from the eatery. Diners will also see new flooring, furniture and interior fixtures. the restaurant said it also updated its exterior and landscaping.
It's a far cry from the unsanitary conditions that caused the closure.
"What we found today was deplorable, so imagine what it looked like five days ago when it's still deplorable -- we're pulling out roaches and expired food," Radnor Police Chief William Colarulo said after the closure.
The restaurant said they already made tens of thousands of dollars of repairs to their out-of-date HVAC and exhaust systems, to the electrical and plumbing systems, to remove and clean equipment and also made improvements to meet fire regulations.
The eatery also began offering gift cards including a recent raffle at a weekend 5K run.
No criminal charges were filed in the case and Yangming apologized for the conditions.
The eatery has passed health inspections and will again open for lunch and dinner starting Wednesday.
Photo Credit: NBC10 - Sam Dunne
