Rae and Jerry’s ordered closed after sewer backup

Rae and Jerry’s Steak House has been forced to close temporarily after a blocked sewer line backed up into a basement boiler room Saturday night, a restaurant co-owner told the Free Press.

Adam Rodin said the long-running Winnipeg restaurant and lounge, at 1405 Portage Ave., is waiting to find out when a provincial public health inspector will conduct a follow-up inspection, following additional remediation work.

“We have to make sure that that room is disinfected, decontaminated and cleaned thoroughly, and all of our mechanical in that room is checked and working appropriately,” he said. “We’ve performed that work twice now.”

After the backup was discovered during business hours Saturday night, the restaurant brought in professional remediation workers to drain, clean and disinfect the room, and a separate company to work on electrical equipment that was affected, Rodin said.

The restaurant reopened Sunday, which was Mother’s Day.

A public health inspector, who visited Monday and wasn’t satisfied with the initial remediation, ordered the restaurant to close, pending another round of cleaning and disinfection of the boiler room, Rodin said.

The province’s health protection unit was notified after the work was completed. Rodin said the work was done both times by a “top remediation specialist.”

“We’re hoping to open again as soon as possible.”

He said the restaurant is seeking guidance from Manitoba Health regarding the type of specialists or additional steps that will be required in order to reopen.

“We’re hoping to open again as soon as possible,” Rodin said. He described the situation as frustrating.

The inspector posted a notice on the restaurant’s front door advising customers that Rae and Jerry’s was ordered closed due to “non-compliance with regulations under the Public Health Act or a municipal bylaw” as of Monday.

The notice did not describe a specific reason or conditions that led to the closure. It cited Section 11, which applies to general sanitation, under the provincial food and food handling establishments regulation.

“The health protection unit was notified of a sewage backup in the basement of Rae and Jerry’s Steak House and attended on site to assess health risks,” a provincial spokesperson wrote in an email to the Free Press Tuesday.

The restaurant had not yet remediated affected areas and equipment, when the inspector visited Monday, the spokesperson said.

Rodin noted the closure’s impacts on employees and customers.

“We’re sorry for the inconvenience to be closed and we plan to do everything appropriately and reopen when we’re given the go ahead to do so,” he said. “We’re just looking forward to being back open and doing what we do.”

Rodin said it’s not known what caused the obstruction in the sewer line. He said blockages can be caused by a combination of things, such as grease or food waste.

He said the lines are cleaned and checked with a camera regularly. The restaurant plans to be more careful about what goes down its drains to avoid a repeat in the future.

“We’re obviously going to try to be more proactive with what goes down the drain,” Rodin said.

Rae and Jerry’s has been in its current location since 1957. Its current owners took over the business just over two years ago.

The restaurant was founded by John Rae and Gerald (Jerry) Hemsworth in its original Kennedy Street location in 1947.

Provincial public health inspectors are tasked with inspecting restaurants and other food service establishments, swimming pools and water recreational facilities, and tattoo and piercing studios to ensure owners and staff are complying with regulations.

The Manitoba government’s website has a running list of closures and convictions for non-compliance.

chris.kitching@freepress.mb.ca