Chili’s closes due to pest infestation
By Ben Thaler
Oct. 10, 2008 1:12 a.m.
Students hoping to a catch a meal at Chili’s restaurant on 1056 Westwood Blvd. found it unexpectedly closed Thursday afternoon.
The restaurant was closed due to a pest infestation, said company spokeswoman Maureen Locus.
Locus said she did not know if or when health inspectors visited the establishment but noted that the time of the closure was in the afternoon.
She also did not specify what sort of pests were infesting the establishment.
One employee of Chili’s, who did not have permission to speak to the media and declined to be named, was unaware of the restaurant’s closure as of Thursday afternoon.
“I was just working there a couple nights ago and everything was fine, so this is news to me,” the employee said.
“We’re working closely with the county of Los Angeles to get Chili’s reopened,” Locus said.
Another anonymous employee, who also did not have permission to speak to the media, declined to comment on the state of the establishment but said it would be opened by Saturday for lunch.
Locus said she could not confirm any statement but added that the staff was working to get the restaurant open as soon as Friday, though no exact date has been set.
The temporary closure of the Westwood location, which Locus said is one of Chili’s most popular, will end with the restaurant taking a “clean bill of health.”
“We’re taking steps to ensure cleanliness and we’re going to continue this high standard of service,” she said.
