Locals Abuzz After Bakery Shutters Due To Fly Infestation

FOREST HILLS, QUEENS — Forest Hills residents are abuzz after the closure of a beloved neighborhood bakery, which Patch learned was shuttered partly due to the presence of flies.

Martha’s Country Bakery on Austin Street, an Astoria-born bakery chain with several citywide locations, was closed by the Department of Health on Monday after an inspector hit the bakery with several violations including the presence of flies, records show.

The sudden shutdown, which came as a surprise to some locals, was further complicated by a sign in the bakery’s window, which says that the closure is “due to plumbing issues and construction work.”

The plumbing and construction note was posted in front of the DOH closure notice, photos obtained by Patch show, making it more obvious to passersby, one neighbor said.

Martha’s Country Bakery representatives did not immediately respond to Patch’s inquiry about the signs or store closure.

After photos of the shuttered store were posted on a Forest Hills Facebook page, hundreds of neighbors took to the comments, some of whom weren’t surprised to hear about the closure.

“This place was so dirty the last time I went there, I am surprised the health department didn’t close it sooner,” wrote one local — the comment that got among the most “likes” in the 200-plus comment thread.

Another neighbor said they’d once seen people at the bakery “put icing from their hand onto a cake,” and once found a piece of glass in a carrot cake slice.

While some neighbors thought that the store might have closed from Tropical Storm Henri-related damage, many people speculated that plumbing and construction weren’t the bakery’s real reasons for shutting down, pointing to the DOH closure notice. Mice and bug emojis popped up throughout the comments.

“There must have been some major violations to make [the closure] happen,” wrote one neighbor. “You don’t get a closed notice [from the DOH] for plumbing or construction.”

Many others, however, criticized the long-maligned restaurant inspection process, saying that restaurants can get docked for non-critical violations that don’t have to do with food safety.

Indeed, restaurants can accrue violation “points” for everything from “general violations,” like broken light bulbs, to “public health hazards,” like food being stored at unsafe temperatures, or evidence of mice.

These points are used to give restaurants a letter grade, based on a system that the city’s used since 2010, but aren’t in-and-of-themselves reasons why restaurants get closed by the DOH.

In order to get shut down, restaurants must have committed public health hazards that cannot be corrected during the inspection, DOH records show.

If someone leaves food out at the wrong temperature, that critical violation can be corrected immediately by disposing of the food, meaning that the restaurant might get docked in its letter-grade score, but wouldn’t necessarily be shut down on the spot.

A vermin infestation — or in the case of Martha’s Country Bakery, a fly infestation — cannot be fixed at the time of inspection, however, meaning that the restaurant risks getting shut down until the hazard is resolved.

Hazards aside, some neighbors were just disappointed to hear about the bakery’s closing.

“Glad it’s only temporary. I need my caramel mousse cake,” wrote one. “NOOOOOOOOO how will I survive without my weekly carrot cake!!!!!” wrote another.

For those looking for a sweet treat, a handful of neighbors took to the comments recommending other local bakeries. Most recommended Cookies and Cream Pastry Shop in Kew Gardens.

One enterprising local even took Martha’s closure as a chance to promote their baking business.

“I’m a local baker. Happy to help with your cake, cupcake and cookie needs while Martha’s is closed,” wrote the owner of Forest_Hills_Bakes. “I am extremely clean and neat,” they added.