Disney Food Facility Reopens After Being Forced to Close Due to Rodent Infestation

As Walt Disney famously said, “it all started with a mouse” However, it was not Mickey Mouse or his lady love Minnie that the Orange County Health Care Agency had a problem with. A Health Inspector recently visited Disneyland Resort and noticed rodent droppings — indicating a large infestation — in a Disneyland Shop that was near a food area. The droppings were so bad that the Inspector forced an unnamed food location to shut down until the area was cleaned and could be re-inspected.

Credit: Disney

As reported by The Orange County Register, a Disneyland retail location had significant rodent droppings, which were near an area that also had food. According to the health reports, the following violations were noted, and the theme park location was forced to shut down.

Inspector Comments: Observed rodent droppings in the following critical areas:

• on the floor of the storage room below the electrical panel box located to the left of the bottle beverage storage
• on the floor of the storage room in the back left corner behind the recycling/trash cans
• inside the merchandise cardboard trays on the storage shelving in the storage room
• on the base coving located at the far end of the front sales area behind the step ladder

The inspector also commented that they found debris and dead insects in the following locations:

• Observed debris and dead insects inside the candy display units on the front sales counter 
• Observed debris and a dead insect inside a Lexan container labeled “Lollipops” in the back storage room

Credit: Disney

Due to what the inspector found, the Disney Park shop and food facility was forced to shut down until they were cleaned, disinfected, and could be re-inspected. Per The Orange County Register:

The food facility — identified only as Disneyland Guide 2 — was closed due to “imminent health hazards” caused by a major rodent infestation in a critical food area, according to county records. The closure — related to a retail location rather than a restaurant — has been cleared to reopen by the health agency.

Disneyland was ordered to remove the infestation, thoroughly clean all affected surfaces and prevent rodents from entering the retail location. Disneyland staff removed prepackaged food and beverages and discontinued sales until gaps and cracks were sealed to prevent rodent intrusion.

The Disneyland Guide 2 shop reopened on Aug. 1 after a re-inspection by the O.C. health agency. A follow-up inspection was scheduled for Monday, Aug. 8.

Credit: Disney

While Disneyland Resort Cast Members work hard to keep Disneyland Park, Disney California Adventure, and the Downtown Disney District clean for Guests — going so far as to have feral cats on Disneyland property to help with any rodent problem — the area is large and that can be difficult. Both the food facility and the unknown Disney Park store have reopened.