Restaurant shuts down after employee is caught urinating in the kitchen

A Mexican restaurant in Draper, Utah was forced to close down after an employee was caught urinating in the kitchen, KSL reports.

When the video, which was taken by a customer on Sunday morning, was posted to Facebook, the health department intervened and ultimately decided to shut the establishment down.

Take a look at this ABC 4 news report into the incident:

Robert Talivakola, the customer in question, was in the restaurant’s drive-thru when he saw the man committing the unhygienic act. He told KSL he was shocked by what he had just witnessed and started filming as he thought he would not be believed without any sort of evidence.

"I love Rancherito’s. I’ve eaten there many times. It’s just kind of disturbing when you see this," Talivakola told KSL. "You kind of don’t want to go back. You kind of just like want to stay away. I honestly don’t think I’m going to eat at that location anymore."

Credit: ABC 4

Nicholas Rupp, who works with the Salt Lake City Health Department, told the publication he had received a complaint about the footage, and so the department investigated.

Following the investigation, health department officials "confirmed that a food handler there (Rancherito’s) exhibited a disregard for food safety and acted inappropriately in a food preparation area."

Perla Lee, the chain’s manager, told KSL the employee has been fired.

Credit: ABC 4

"This was just one person, and it does not represent who we are or what we do. So we definitely want to make sure they know that and that our customers are a priority," Lee said. "Everything is being sanitized, every single thing," he added.

The health department also explained that the diner could potentially reopen following a "complete reinspection, including verification of employee training," which could be as soon as tomorrow.