'Bacon Bacon' Restaurant Shut Down for Smelling Like Bacon

By Betty Wang, JD on May 24, 2013 | Last updated on March 21, 2019

A San Francisco restaurant called "Bacon Bacon" got shut down last Friday for, well, smelling like bacon. The aptly named restaurant may be able to reopen and resume operations, but not until a hearing is held in July.

For now, while they remain closed, a huge stink has been raised on social media (mostly from fellow lovers of pork). On top of the outpouring of support, the news of the restaurant's status going into the fryer has even received attention from national TV. Amy Poehler gave a shout-out to this piece of news in an SNL skit this weekend. "It's gotta be really tricky to walk up to a cop and complain that something smells like bacon," Poehler quipped.

In all meat-related seriousness, though, the restaurant was not just dealing with the scent of too much "porcine aroma," but many other legal issues.

The San Francisco Department of Public Health has apparently given the restaurant several slaps on the wrist prior to this to obtain the proper permits to operate their restaurant.

In addition, through the department's food safety program, the restaurant was also apparently violating several other health and safety standards. Residents had complained that bacon grease was being dumped into the sewer and the restaurant's food truck would often be illegally parked, not to mention the supposedly improper air-filtration system that failed to alleviate the (albeit delicious to many) bacon smell.

Health inspections do not take these acts lightly. Things like the improper storage of garbage, lack of food safety knowledge, lack of proper permits, and not having up-to-date equipment are all clear violations of the city's health and safety code.

A reopening is possible, but would not happen until at least after the hearing in July. There will likely need to be additional training and frequent re-inspections.

The owner of "Bacon Bacon" is currently trying to secure a location for his food truck.

For now, though, it would appear that bacon doesn't go well with everything. Especially not the approval of the health department.

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