This is not the way to save a buck.
A roadkill deer was found inside a Chinese restaurant’s freezer — and this isn’t the lo mein joint’s first time running afoul of health code violations, according to reports.
The nauseating discovery was made after a Facebook user accused staff at China Queen in Louisiana of skinning a dead animal in the back outside their restaurant in a now-deleted post on Wednesday, April 22, KALB 5 reported.
Local police officers responded to the eatery and were shown a picture of a male restaurant employee with blood on his hands by a witness, the Pineville Police Department told The Post in a statement.
They later found a deer carcass inside the Chinese restaurant’s freezer, stored next to other food.
The worker told police he found the deer carcass on the side of the road around 10:00 a.m. and intended to turn it into soup.
“Officers on scene were unable to determine whether the meat was intended for personal consumption or for service to restaurant patrons,” officials told the outlet.
The incident has spurred investigations from both the Louisiana Department of Health and the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries.
“While the consumption of deer is common in Louisiana, state law prohibits the possession of roadkill without prior authorization from law enforcement. Additionally, improper handling and storage of wild game can pose serious public health risks due to rapid bacterial growth,” a Pinveville Police Department spokesperson said.
The restaurant later posted a notice on its front door apologizing for the incident and claiming that they never intended to serve the roadkill to customers, according to a photo obtained by KALB.
“We apologize for the recent incident. The item involved was never intended to be served to customers, but it was improperly stored,” the letter stated.
The notice went on to state that the restaurant was cooperating with health authorities and changed their procedures so the incident doesn’t happen again.
Louisiana law prohibits harvesting roadkill without permission from the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries.
“Illegal possession of a deer, which would be possession of roadkill, essentially, is a class four violation in Louisiana,” Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries official Bradley Breland told KALB.
China Queen could end up with up to a $950 fine and potentially 120 days in jail, depending on the severity of the violation, he said.
This is not the first time the restaurant has found itself in hot water with health officials.
It was reportedly found to have several “critical” violations on its April 1 health inspection — including storing chemicals above food.
All of the violations were corrected by the health department’s follow-up visit on April 8.
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