Rocket Joe’s Shuttered by Department of Health; New Ownership Soon
Gates are drawn, those awesome neons dark. Rocket Joe’s at 61 Delancey, a standby for late-night B&T revelers and Bowery Ballroom concert-goers, is temporarily closed during an ownership shuffle. A poster at the entrance announces the eventual business change.
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But there’s more to the story here than meets the eye. Neighborhood residents know that, while a reliable fast-food joint, Rocket Joe’s isn’t necessarily the most sanitary. Now their transgressions have adversely caught up with them. Indeed, health inspectors investigated the premises on Tuesday and ultimately shuttered the establishment. The pizzeria earned 38 violation points, the worst of which was “live roaches present in facility’s food and/or non-food areas.”
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Full report card:
- Hot food item not held at or above 140º F.
- Food Protection Certificate not held by supervisor of food operations.
- Appropriately scaled metal stem-type thermometer or thermocouple not provided or used to evaluate temperatures of potentially hazardous foods during cooking, cooling, reheating and holding.
- Live roaches present in facility’s food and/or non-food areas.
- Facility not vermin proof. Harborage or conditions conducive to attracting vermin to the premises and/or allowing vermin to exist.
Meanwhile, whether this “ownership change” is a result of the DOH closure is still unknown. Either way, we’ll keep you apprised of the details.
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