WATERBURY, Conn. (WFSB) – Thirty-four food establishments in Waterbury were cited for staying open during last month’s water main break despite health department orders to close, city officials said.
The cited restaurants include multiple McDonald’s and Subway locations, as well as several local establishments. Health Director Aisling McGuckin said FDA food code requires restaurants to close when water quality cannot be assured.
“The FDA food code dictates the presence of any possible contaminant requires them to close,” McGuckin said. “The quality of the water is not assured, and per the FDA food code, you have to close.”
The water main break created potential contamination risks including E. coli and other bacteria in the city’s water supply, making it unsafe for cooking, cleaning or drinking in restaurants.
Thomas Gould, owner of Brass City Bistro on Hamilton Avenue, said he was unaware of the closure requirement until health department officials visited his restaurant.
“We didn’t experience anything. We didn’t lose any water, no pressure. So, I didn’t find out until the health department came over and asked us to shut down,” Gould said.
Gould said he immediately closed the restaurant when officials arrived, even interrupting customers’ meals.
“We had the dining room booked out, the bar was full, the whole restaurant was full and he says ‘Mr. Gould, you’re going to have to shut down. So, now I have to go and tell all the people that are here that we can’t serve them,” Gould said. “You’ve got them halfway fed, and you can’t finish up.”
The closure rules proved confusing for approximately 800 food establishments in Waterbury. While most complied with the orders, health officials said some restaurants attempted workarounds that still posed health risks.
The health department observed establishments exclusively using bottled water, boiling water or replacing hand washing with hand sanitizer. Officials said those efforts were insufficient and still created safety concerns.
Other restaurants cited include Wendy’s and Jersey Mike’s Subs on Wolcott Street, as well as Hong Kong Chinese Restaurant and La Cazuela Mexican Restaurant on East Main Street.
None of the cited establishments were fined, but McGuckin said they will receive additional scrutiny during future inspections.
“There may be other aspects of food preparation that they don’t understand. They may need education for,” McGuckin said. “I don’t think it’s necessarily a slap on the wrist because they’ll be getting additional attention as we go through the year at their regularly scheduled visits. And I don’t think anybody invites extra attention.”
McGuckin acknowledged the health department learned from the experience.
“We learned that we should’ve been telling people not to go out to eat,” she said.
The health department plans follow-up visits with cited restaurant owners to prevent similar issues in the future.
This is the complete list of the 34 food establishments in Waterbury that were cited for staying open during last month’s water main break on Thomaston Avenue:
Adriana’s Cafe, 500 Bank Street
Amalfi Pizza, 580 Wolcott Street
Antonio’s Pizza and Deli, 3005 East Main Street
Bakery Bread from Heaven II, 1864 East Main Street
Brass City Bistro, 816 Hamilton Avenue
Brazilian Centro Bakery, 1575 South Main Street
Hong Kong Chinese Restaurant, 1816 East Main Street
Checkers Convenience and Deli, 496 Frost Road
Cumberland Farms, 1359 Thomaston Avenue
Diorio Restaurant and Bar, 207 Bank Street
Frankie’s Family Restaurant, 464 Reidville Drive
Golden Wok II, 464 Reidville Drive
Jersey Mikes Subs, 901 Wolcott Street
Kocina Latina Deli, 911 South Main Street
La Cazuela Restaurant, 1812 East Main Street
Los Garcia Deli, 812 East Main Street
Mamajuana Cafe, 950 Wolcott Street
McDonald’s, 184 Chase Avenue
McDonald’s, 881 Wolcott Street
Pontelandolfo Community Club, 380 Farmwood Road
Popeye’s Louisiana Kitchen, 650 Wolcott Street
Red Corner, 780 Lakewood Road
Sabor Ecuatoriano II, 606 South Main Street
San Marino Restaurant, 111 Thomaston Avenue
The New Santopietro Deli and Catering, 11 Meriline Avenue
Spartan Restaurant, 970 Chase Parkway
Subway, 1344 Meriden Road
Subway, 464 Reidville Street
Sultan’s Turkish Restaurant, 586 Plank Road
Sun Hing Chinese Restaurant, 2523 East Main Street
New Sun Kee Kitchen, 500 Bank Street
Verdi Restaurant, 660 Park Road
Wendy’s, 910 Wolcott Street
Wing It On, 516 Frost Road
Copyright 2026 WFSB. All rights reserved.