New York Chipotle forced to close due to Avocado-eating rats

A rat helping a chef churn out lip-smacking food can only happen in movies like Ratatouille. In reality, rats are a menace to hotels and restaurants. The rodent may be an important part of ecosystem, food chains and whatnot, nobody wants anything to do with rats around their food.

A sustained onslaught from rats has brought a branch of fast-food giant Chipotle to its knees. These rats not only took liking to Avocado, the favourite snack staple of New Yorkers, but also attacked staff of the restaurant, as per news reports.

This branch ofChipotle is located in Upper Manhattan.

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“It’s pure chaos every time a rat appears,” an employee named Melvin Paulino was quoted by New York Post as saying.

The rat infestation is so much that even though the restaurant is shut, employees have to come to clean-up so that the problem doesn't get worse.

The issue began in Summer this year when the staff found half-eaten Avocados. The rats took particular liking to the expensive fruit so much that the staff was forced to keep Avocados inside freezers just to save them from rats.

But then, more issues started. Bags of rice were found to have been chewed open, the rice eaten. And the mice also took to chewing electric wires that resulted in problems for computer systems in the store.

Efforts were made to contain the damage. But the problem became so big that the store could no longer handle orders as computer systems and wires were too badly damaged by the rats.