Rodent Droppings Close Eureka's Chin's Café, Passes Reinspection Next Day

Rodent droppings in the dry storage and kitchen of Chin's Café & Motel on Broadway triggered a temporary closure by Humboldt County health officials on April 1, cutting off service at the longstanding Eureka restaurant for less than 24 hours before a follow-up inspection cleared it to reopen.

The county inspector also flagged unclean knives and a broccoli-cabbage mix that was not adequately chilled, leaving Chin's with three concurrent violations to correct before any reinspection could proceed. Management moved quickly: inspectors returned April 2 and cleared the café to resume service.

Corrections required under the closure order included disinfecting the affected areas, securing the facility against further pest intrusion, contracting a pest control service, and retraining staff on storage and food-handling standards. The violations rank among the most serious categories under county food-safety rules because rodent activity in dry storage and on food contact surfaces carries contamination risk across the entire kitchen, not only in the spots where droppings appear.

The Chin's order is the fifth rodent-related shutdown at a Humboldt County food facility in roughly 11 months. Old Town Coffee & Chocolates in downtown Eureka was ordered closed in May 2025 after an inspector found rodent feces in every area of the facility, and the Bellini in Garberville followed one week later. Harbor Lanes Café, Humboldt County's last bowling alley, was shuttered in February after rodent activity was found on food contact surfaces throughout its kitchen. Hot Brew in Fortuna was closed and cleared just two days before the Chin's order, on March 30.

Because Chin's operates a motel alongside the restaurant on the same Broadway property, the health order carried potential implications beyond the kitchen, though the rapid clearance suggests the violations were contained and corrected before any broader lodging impact materialized.

Inspection records for every retail food facility in Humboldt County are searchable by facility name, street, city, or zip code through the county Division of Environmental Health's online inspection portal. The division can also be reached directly at (707) 445-6215. The Lost Coast Outpost's INSPECTED! directory maintains a running log of every county food facility inspection, updated after each visit, and serves as the most accessible public record of closures, violations, and reinspection outcomes across the county.