(BIVN) – Genki Sushi, still with a red “Closed” placard posted at its Kailua-Kona restaurant, asked the Health Department on Friday to postpone a follow-up inspection so that it can thoroughly clean the restaurant.

The restaurant on Kona’s Makala Blvd was shut down on May 22 after an inspection was conducted in response to numerous complaints. A red “Closed” placard was posted by the health department at the establishment to protect public health.

During the inspection, health officials said they found an extensive roach infestation.

On May 28, the Department of Health conducted a follow-up inspection, which resulted in the red placard remaining. DOH officials wrote:

Inspection Comments: Complaint follow up inspection: Complaint in regards to vermin infestation at the food establishment ** Witnessed the following conditions at the food establishment: – Roaches inside glove box size medium. Person in charge has disposed of the box. Take home bento boxes are wet with an unknown substance dispose of materials. – The majority of the dry goods are currently being stored in vermin proof containers. Currently more vermin proof containers are on order to store dry goods and other items. – Areas have been cleaned. Conveyor belts have been disassembled and cleaned thoroughly. The housing for the conveyor has been cleaned. 1 “old” Hoy Hoy roach hotel seen inside the the housing, remove roach hotel. – Holes in the kitchen must be sealed (located above the dish pit and plumbing holes under the dish washing area) – Adult German roaches seen in the following areas: conveyor control panel, floors in the sushi prep area and utensil storage area. – According to the person in charge Terminix has treated the facility. The operator visited the establishment Friday 6am and today sometime. Employees said that by 9 am operator was gone. Currently no records of pesticide application available for review. ** Person in charge will be implementing the following: – All employees will be retrained in sanitation and food safety protocol. – Pest control company will be contracted to treat and inspect weekly to ensure that pest populations kept at a minimum. – Mason Pest control will be completing a survey and a course of action will be implemented. ** Items to be completed before operation is approved: – Vermin entry points to be sealed. See above for details. – Go through all dry storage equipment to ensure that there are no cockroaches inside of boxes and containers. – Remove old traps inside conveyor belt housing. See above for details. – Ensure that you have records for any pesticide application in your food establishment. Also attempt to retrieve pesticide application records from Terminix. Person in charge has requested that an inspection take place on Friday morning 11AM. Red placard to remain posted. This placard is the property of the State of Hawaii Department of Health and shall not be removed, copied or altered in anyway. Hawaii administrative rules section 11-50-9 (c).

A statement was issued Friday by Mary Hansen, vice president and chief administrative officer, Genki Sushi USA, Inc.:

“Genki Sushi USA is continuing to work closely with the Hawaii State Department of Health to take the necessary actions to ensure our Kailua-Kona restaurant complies with all food safety requirements, while also meeting the high standards for cleanliness and sanitation that we set for all of our restaurant locations. We have asked the Health Department to postpone the follow-up inspection that was scheduled for today so we can take additional time to thoroughly clean the restaurant and have it properly treated by a pest control exterminator. We regret the continued delay, but we want to make sure our customers are assured of a clean restaurant when we reopen.”