Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
Food
Video: Baby Rat Spotted Frolicking In The Olive Bar At UWS Fairway
By
Jen Carlson
Published Sep 26, 2012
Modified Sep 27, 2012
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Jen Carlson
Published Sep 26, 2012
Modified Sep 27, 2012
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Earlier this month we watched in horror as a rat scurried around the aisles of the Fairway on 74th Street and Broadway. At the time, a spokesman of the store said that nearby construction was likely to blame, and their Quality Control team and senior management were "in the process of conducting a thorough investigation and taking immediate steps to remedy the problem." That video, caught by My Upper West, was filmed just after midnight, and the blog noted that there were other rats spotted in the store that night. And now those rats seem to have made a baby! Glenn Herman caught new, horrifying footage at the store showing what looks like a baby rat frolicking on top of the olives in the olive bar! We never trusted those open olive bars.
Herman notes that he took the video just this morning (Wednesday the 26th) around 12:20 a.m., adding:
"I was surprised that a man next to me jumped away from the produce and started gesticulating wildly. He explained that there was a mouse or rat walking all over the tops of the produce. I discovered a small rat or mouse happily hanging out in the olive bins. He was walking all over the produce. The night manager and a clerk were discussing how they knew about the problem and that the exterminator was coming."
In response to a letter he wrote to the store, a manager responsed, "It will be addressed immediately. Please accept our sincere apologies." Surely that Upper West Side Fairway isn't the only place this is happening (which is actually the most horrifying part of all this), but their customers do certainly know how to hold their phones correctly to shoot some sweet video! [via My Upper West]
UPDATE: A Fairway spokesperson tells us, "We believe the incident was caused by the massive construction that is happening throughout the immediate vicinity of the store, and which has been well documented in the press. In fact, we have done an exhaustive top to bottom review of our store and determined that the problem is definitely an external one. So, we are now taking comprehensive measures and spending thousands of dollars to fully remedy the situation so it doesn't happen again."
Tagged
baby rat
Fairway
nightmare fuel
olive bar
olives
rat
Jen Carlson
Jen Carlson is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE food
10 dishes that demonstrate the delicious diversity of curry in New York City
The global dish is shapeshifting and ubiquitous.
By
Robert Sietsema
Published Sep 12, 2026
Frozen yogurt is back in New York City. So are the super long lines.
Is it worth the high price and ridiculous wait? Gothamist needed to find out.
By
Sonia Rao
Food
Frozen yogurt is back in New York City. So are the super long lines.
Is it worth the high price and ridiculous wait? Gothamist needed to find out.
By
Sonia Rao
5 NYC banana puddings as good as Magnolia's
By
Hannah Frishberg
Where to eat in Greenpoint, Brooklyn right now, from Polish to Sichuan to Iberian
By
Robert Sietsema
Can a congressional candidate's dumpling diplomacy win over Queens’ immigrant communities?
By
Caroline Shin
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .