Reuters cited for dirtiest media cafeteria in New York

The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene cited failure to vermin-proof the facility at 3 Times Square, “potential contamination sources, and, Other General Violation”.

It awarded the cafeteria 32 violation points, mostly concerning food temperature and operating conditions. A score of 27 or less is needed for a restaurant to pass the inspection. The average violation point total for all New York City restaurants on their most recent inspection is 14.

The health department said “the Notice of Violation issued for this inspection was resolved by a hearing, or a pleading of guilt and a fine payment, or a default judgement”.

The executive dining room at 3 Times Square - Thomson Reuters’ global headquarters - was cited for eight violations noticed on 30 November.

New York Magazine, under the headline “Never Accept an Invitation to Lunch at the Reuters Cafeteria”, said that after The New York Times shut down its cafeteria because of a gastro-intestinal outbreak last year, the website Daily Finance looked at the rest of the media cafeterias in the city. 

The cleanest media cafeterias belong to Google, which  earned five points from inspectors, “while ever punctilious Bloomberg managed a sterling four points - surely a relief to employees there, who are strongly encouraged never to leave the building”, media columnist Jeff Bercovici wrote on  Daily Finance. ■