In the wake of a viral video that caught a rodent crawling around food in one of its glass display cases, a beloved Fresh Meadows bagel shop took to social media on Wednesday to make it clear that they’ve cleaned up their act.
Bagel Oasis, located at 183-12 Horace Harding Expy., took the spotlight for the wrong reasons last week after Facebook user Jason Clohessy posted two videos, which have since been deleted, on June 15 showing a large rodent walking around a case filled with cold cuts. The video amassed thousands of shares and comments before it was removed.
The shop’s owner posted to the deli’s Facebook page nearly a week later to clear the air and address customers.
“What happened of course is unacceptable and definitely not the way we conduct business at Bagel Oasis,” the post reads. “For the past 57 years we have [maintained] the highest standards of product quality and cleanliness.”
The owner claims that the Health Department came in “immediately after” the video was posted to conduct an inspection, and the shop was found to be “rodent and insect free.”
QNS has reached out to the Health Department to confirm this information.
“I can only speculate on how the mouse got into our store. It is no secret that we are a very busy place with customers and vendors coming and going all times of the day and night,” the business owner continues.
The post, signed “Our Deepest Apologies,” has over 100 comments from customers and residents with a wide range of reactions.
Many locals were forgiving to the longtime neighborhood staple.
“This can happen to anyone anytime anywhere,” Pino Augello commented. “Good luck to Bagel Oasis. I will be back.”
Others said that they would not return to the beloved store after viewing the video.
“No can do. Sorry. That was a rat and not a mouse,” Gregory Dalia wrote.
The 24-hour bagel shop has been ranked among the best in the city by multiple publications over the years, including USA Today, GQ and Gothamist.
