Rat caught scurrying around UBC cafeteria food prep area

A rat spotted scurrying around the food prep area of a UBC cafeteria has some stomachs turning.

The rodent was not only spotted by several students — it was also caught on video, which has been shared on social media and gone viral.

Students tells CityNews it happened at on-campus cafeteria Open Kitchen on Tuesday night. It was a busy time, with many waiting in line for their dinner.

Isabel Curiston, a first-year student, says she was waiting for her food when she heard some commotion.

“I heard someone yell, ‘Oh my God, is that a rat in Open Kitchen,'” she recalled.

“I look up and I see this rat coming up out of the cracks, right where there’s all of the salad fixings. Once everyone started making a raucous, it kind of went down a little bit and then once everyone stopped yelling, it came back out all the way onto the platform,” she said of the incident, which took place at a counter similar to what you would see at a sandwich shop.

That’s when she says a worker came out to deal with the situation — though not in the most thorough manner.

“One of the employees came up very casually and picked up the rat with a pair of tongs and then just threw it on the ground and just walked away from the rat,” Curiston said.

She caught the whole thing on camera. Understandably, Curiston says she didn’t wait around for her food, walking away instead.

Another student, who wishes to remain anonymous, similarly describes the ordeal to CityNews, saying staff removed the food the rat was immediately near.

However, he claims employees continued to serve students after the incident.

“If there’s one rat there’s definitely more,” the student said.

He admits he was surprised by the rat, adding he’s never questioned the quality or safety of the food at Open Kitchen.

“It always seems like it’s quite clean and stuff, but then this happened and completely changed my perspective,” the student added.

Rat incident prompts VCH inspection

In a statement, UBC says it closed the grill station right after the incident. The school adds all the food at the station was thrown out and that the station underwent a thorough cleaning and sanitation.

“UBC Food Services is committed to providing clean and high-quality services and are working actively with our pest control partner to address the situation. We have also proactively contacted Vancouver Coastal Health, and will work closely with them as needed. All employees have been informed and reminded about proper sanitation measures as necessary,” the statement from Colin Moore, director of Food Services, reads.

In a follow up, the school says VCH has done an inspection and that no evidence of infestation was found.

In an email confirming its investigation, the health authority says “Inspections are conducted regularly and when complaints are received.”

“Each visit generates an inspection report that is provided to the operator to either confirm they are compliant with regulations or lists deficiencies that need to be addressed,” VCH writes, though it did not outline whether any deficiencies were found.

“It was just pure shock,” Curiston said of her initial reaction to the rat.

Meal plan refunds

All UBC Vancouver students who live in residence are required to take part in the school’s meal plan program.

Despite the measures taken, Curiston says she’d like some of the money she spent on the Residence Meal Plan back, noting she — and many other students who are also uncomfortable eating on-campus now — can’t afford to buy food elsewhere.

“I feasibly cannot afford to be going out and paying for food, and that’s why I’m on the meal plan. So not being able to have something that I paid for at the beginning of the year and right now is kind of distressing, because I don’t have enough money to just live off of that for food because I’ve put so much money in for that,” she said.

“I rely on that kitchen,” added the second student, noting he would also like his money back, telling CityNews he won’t be going back to that cafeteria.

While UBC has other on-campus cafeterias where Curiston would be able to use her meal card, she says she’s heard of other sanitation concerns at those facilities.

“I physically can’t eat there or else I feel like I will throw up,” she said.

Of the employee who “dealt” with the rat at Open Kitchen, Curiston says she’s “disturbed” by the way he handled the situation.

“That’s going to continuously happen, the rat’s going to continuously come back because you didn’t do anything, you literally just moved it off the surface.”

Curiston says many of her friends have reached out to UBC, but adds the school had not responded to them by the time she had spoken to CityNews.

The student who spoke to CityNews anonymously says he has spoken to a UBC staff member and was told a report was filed. He was also told he’d be contacted by the school, though it’s unclear if that’s happened.

Some people online have said this ordeal has brought back memories of an unrelated incident in which a rat was found in a bowl of chowder served at a Vancouver restaurant in 2019.