On Wednesday, September 3, 2025, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health took decisive action, closing a Subway restaurant in Eagle Rock after workers raised alarms about a persistent rat infestation that, according to employees, had plagued the store for a year. The closure, which was swiftly followed by a worker protest the next day, has shone a harsh spotlight on food safety and labor conditions in one of the nation’s largest fast-food chains.
For months, employees at the Subway location at 4919 Eagle Rock Blvd. say they have been sounding the alarm to the store’s owner about a growing rat problem. Their complaints, they allege, fell on deaf ears. Instead of seeing the issue addressed, they claim the infestation only worsened, with live and dead rats, droppings, and even bites taken out of food becoming routine discoveries. According to KTLA, video footage showed one worker pushing a dead rat with a broom, while images revealed vermin droppings on sandwich bags, chewed bread, and other supplies. It was a situation that left employees feeling not only unheard but also unsafe.
The breaking point came when the Department of Public Health posted a Notice of Closure on the restaurant’s door, citing "Vermin Infestation" as the violation. The closure order, as reported by KABC and KTLA, followed a year’s worth of ignored complaints and mounting frustration among the staff. On Thursday afternoon, September 4, workers took to the sidewalk outside the shuttered store, holding signs reading "fast food workers on strike" and demanding accountability from the owner.
"The point is to hear workers' voices and hopefully they understand they have to do the right thing. Sometimes they prefer to save money, but they are risking the health and the life of employees and customers, too," said Maria Maldonado, field director with the California Fast Food Workers Union, in a statement to KABC. The union has thrown its support behind the employees, arguing that the health and safety of both staff and customers should never be compromised in the name of cutting costs.
According to Eva Rodriguez, a Subway employee who spoke to KTLA, the rat problem had been an open secret among workers for about a year. "The infestation has been going on for about a year, but complaints from workers have been ignored," Rodriguez said. That sense of neglect, she and others argue, left them with no choice but to go public and demand action. Their demands are straightforward: they want the store to be professionally cleaned, and they are seeking compensation for lost wages resulting from the closure.
The closure has reverberated beyond the walls of the Subway itself. Susanne Ortega, a stylist at Great Clips, a neighboring business, expressed concern that the infestation could have a ripple effect, potentially harming her own clientele and business. "If they saw one, we could lose our client base, and they can shut us down because they saw a rat here, and that would not be acceptable," Ortega told KTLA. She added, "We’re glad that they actually closed down." For nearby businesses, the incident serves as a stark reminder of how the actions—or inactions—of one establishment can impact an entire community.
The closure notice did not specify how long the Subway would remain shuttered. As of the latest reports, both KABC and KTLA noted that it was unclear when, or if, the restaurant might reopen. The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health typically requires establishments closed for vermin infestation to undergo thorough professional cleaning and pest control before re-inspection and potential reopening. For employees, the uncertainty lingers—not just about when they might return to work, but about whether conditions will truly change.
Efforts to reach Subway’s corporate office for comment have so far gone unanswered, both news outlets reported. The silence has only fueled worker frustration, leaving them feeling abandoned by both the store’s owner and the larger Subway brand. The workers’ protest on Thursday night was as much about being heard as it was about demanding concrete action.
This episode in Eagle Rock is not just a local story of rats and closed doors. It touches on broader issues of worker rights, food safety, and corporate responsibility—topics that have been in the national spotlight in recent years. Fast food workers, often on the front lines of low-wage, high-turnover jobs, have increasingly organized for better conditions, higher pay, and a voice in the workplace. The California Fast Food Workers Union’s involvement in the Eagle Rock case is part of a wider push to hold employers accountable for workplace safety and hygiene.
For customers, the incident is a sobering reminder of the unseen risks that can lurk in even the most familiar establishments. While most fast food restaurants pass inspections and maintain proper standards, the Eagle Rock Subway’s troubles highlight what can happen when problems are ignored. As KTLA reported, evidence of the infestation was not subtle—droppings on sandwich bags and chewed bread are hardly easy to miss. The fact that such conditions persisted for so long raises questions about oversight and the mechanisms employees have to report and resolve such issues.
For the workers, the protest was about more than just lost wages—it was about dignity and safety. Their call for professional cleaning is not only reasonable but necessary, given the extent of the infestation documented by health officials and the media. Their demand for compensation for lost wages reflects the reality that closures, even when necessary, can leave low-wage workers in a precarious financial position.
As the story unfolds, the eyes of the Eagle Rock community—and perhaps the wider fast food industry—will remain fixed on the outcome. Will the Subway owner heed the calls for professional remediation and fair compensation? Will corporate leadership step in to address not only this incident but also the broader issues it represents? And what measures will be put in place to ensure that workers’ voices are heard before problems reach a crisis point?
For now, the Subway at 4919 Eagle Rock Blvd. remains closed, its windows bearing the stark notice of a public health violation. For the workers who protested outside, the hope is that this closure will mark a turning point—not just for their store, but for fast food workers everywhere who are fighting for safer, cleaner, and more respectful workplaces. Only time will tell if that hope is realized, but their message is clear: health and safety cannot be compromised, and silence in the face of danger is no longer an option.
