First it was a COVID-19 outbreak of nearly 200 people at the popular East Lansing restaurant Harper’s. More recently the restaurant was caught in a social media fire-storm after allegations of racism and un-cleanliness.
Today 6 News is learning new information about the sanitation inside Harper’s from health department records obtained through the Freedom of Information Act.
6 News has received the health inspections at the restaurant over the last 10 years.
From 2003-2015, nine violations for several flies in the facility. In 2016 the soda nozzles were found to have mold.v And from 2018-2020 several violations for grime and dust buildup in the kitchen.
But operations manager and the owners daughter Chanelle Crouch says it’s something many restaurants deal with, not just Harpers.
“They are mostly minor health code things that are pretty standard in the industry,” Crouch said. “I would assume you would be hard presed to find a single restaurant in the industry in the united states let alone the world with a perfectly clean record”
Ingham county health officer Lnda Vail says similar violations are a common thing at other restaurants and bars. She adds that after health inspections restaurants do get the chance to fix their wrongs to meet compliance.
But former employees say it’s more than just a dirty bar.
An anonymous source tells 6 News that they witnessed racist incidents.
“I’ve overheard them saying the n-word multiple times. They do instruct the door guys to charge covers for black people.”
An allegation that Harper’s management denies.
The restaurant is preparing to open back up, but a date has not been set.
