News video showing about a dozen rats running around a KFC-Taco Bell restaurant in Greenwich Village was widely disseminated Friday on TV stations and the Internet.
The footage, taken from the sidewalk through a window, showed the rats running around the floor, between counters and tables and on children's high chairs. The establishment was not open at the time.
Yum Brands , which is the parent of KFC and Taco Bell, said the franchise owner of the restaurant is "actively addressing this issue." The Louisville, Ky., company said the restaurant will remain closed until the problem is "completely resolved."
"Nothing is more important to us than the health and safety of our customers," the company said in a written statement. "This is completely unacceptable and is an absolute violation of our high standards."
Last week, it was reported that Taco Bell sales had slumped after a widelypublicized E. coli scare, but that international sales helped Yum Brands in the company's fourth quarter.