Boston Starbucks shut down after video shows rats eating food there
By Riley Rourke, Brandon Truitt
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BOSTON (WBZ) — The Starbucks at South Station in Boston has been shut down after a video showed rats eating the food in the display case. The video taken around 10 p.m. Wednesday also shows the rodents climbing on the cash register.
The Boston Inspectional Services Department (ISD) sent over an employee to inspect the location after receiving the video. The Starbucks manager told the inspector that an employee had mistakenly left the food out overnight and they had since thrown it all away.
Rat droppings were also found throughout the stand, including in a cabinet. Fruit flies were seen in the display case as well. The location had “multiple violations of the Massachusetts Sanitary Code and FDA Food Code,” according to the ISD.
The Starbucks was ordered to close due to the “immediate health hazard.” Its food permit was also temporarily suspended until another inspection can be completed and passed. The manager was told to retrain their staff on how to close properly, and the owner of the Starbucks location was instructed to hire a pest control company to address the “rodent infestation.” The location will also need to be cleaned, sanitized, and disinfected.
“Our South Station location is temporarily closed while we address a pest issue. We will not reopen until we are confident that the store meets our high standards of cleanliness and safety. We look forward to welcoming our customers back soon,” a spokesperson for Starbucks told WBZ-TV in a statement.
“While this is a location operated by a third party, we expect all of our locations to provide the customer experience that Starbucks has come to be known for. We’ve been in touch with the licensee and understand that the location will be closed for a short period while they address the issue.”
“It was pretty disturbing,” said commuter Clothilde Donarumo, who was sent the video by a friend. “I’m definitely concerned. I don’t get food here in the mornings, but now I am definitely not going to for a while until I hear an update because that did not look good on that TikTok at all.”
“They don’t realize the medical repercussions,” said commuter Jacqui Russo.
A database from the City of Boston showing all past health inspections had no other violations listed for the location, except for an issue with a check in January 2025. The Starbucks was most recently inspected in December 2025 and passed.
Starbucks closed more than a dozen stores in Massachusetts last year, including the iconic “Golden Teapot” location. The company said the closings were due to “underperforming stores” across the country.
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