Issaquah McDonald’s shut down due to sewage backup in kitchen

McDonald's of Issaquah at 1305 Northwest Gilman Boulevard was closed down Monday, July 7, after raw sewage backed up into the kitchen.

By Linda Ball • July 8, 2014 3:29 pm
An employee with Flohawks Plumbing and Septic works on a main sewer line break at the McDonald’s restaurant at 1305 N.E. Gilman Blvd. in Issaquah. The problem caused raw sewage to back up into the kitchen.
An employee with Flohawks Plumbing and Septic works on a main sewer line break at the McDonald’s restaurant at 1305 N.E. Gilman Blvd. in Issaquah. The problem caused raw sewage to back up into the kitchen.

 

McDonald’s of Issaquah at 1305 Northwest Gilman Boulevard was closed down Monday, July 7, after raw sewage backed up into the kitchen.

On Tuesday Flohawks Septic and Plumbing of Puyallup, a division of Northwest Cascade, was pumping sewage from a manhole. When asked, the employee said they were there for annual maintenance. The workers claimed to have no knowledge of the closure or the sewage backup in the kitchen.

Derek Morrison, a spokesman for McDonald’s in Western Washington said a main sewer line collapsed.

“It’s just an unfortunate incident,” he said. “It could happen in front of your house or mine.”

A spokesperson for the King County Public Health Department said this also happened in 2007, but the restaurant was under different ownership. The restaurant is owned by Sammamish businessman Alan Finkelstein. His company, Casel Enterprises, Inc. also owns McDonald’s restaurants in Kent, Maple Valley and Sammamish.

Finkelstein is the president of the Sammamish Chamber of Commerce. Morrison said the safety of the customers comes first, and that this has been a headache and heartache for Finkelstein. Morrison said Finkelstein has never had one of his restaurants closed before.

Deborah Sogge, the executive director of the Sammamish Chamber said he is a wonderful chamber president.

“This has nothing to do with his food or cleanliness, it’s an outside infrastructure issue,” Sogge said.

Sogge said Finkelstein gives a lot to the community and its schools.

“He is a very diligent businessman, very well respected in Sammamish,” Sogge said. “He’s cleaned up the shop in Sammamish. Before he owned it the staff wasn’t very good.”

Morrison said when Finkelstein receives any bad reports, he has corrected whatever the infraction was and passed re-inspection each time.

The Health Department said Finkelstein will meet with them to explain his response and any procedures he has to prevent this from happening again. The restaurant is still closed.

“It will be open when it’s best for the public — and Alan, the city, and the county health department are satisfied with the fix,” Morrison said.