The home of the Cronut is set to open again, after being temporarily closed, thanks to some unwelcome guests.
Dominique Ansel Bakery had been closed by order of New York City's Health Department on Friday afternoon, which cited the presence of mice at the pastry haven.
"The establishment was closed by the Department because of a severe mouse infestation that requires professional pest control services," a spokesman for the Health Department confirmed to TODAY.com. The news was first reported by Gothamist.com.
But Tuesday morning at 8 a.m., the bakery announced on Facebook Monday, it will open again.
"We are deeply sorry for any disappointment that we may have caused you," the bakery posted on Facebook. "Taking this opportunity, we have completely fortified our facilities with a full reconstruction and re-cementing, taking every issue seriously in an effort to provide an even more pristine environment for our guests. As you know, we cook in completely opened kitchens, so everything we do is in full view."
The bakery's closure came a day after a video titled "Dominique Ansel's Pet Mouse" was posted on YouTube, in which a mouse can be seen scurrying across the floor while kitchen staff are at work. "At the home of the Cronut," the caption on the video reads, "So cute!!"
Amy Ma, a spokesperson for the popular bakery, denied that there was a mouse problem and said the YouTube video sparked the Health Department visit and brought "not one, but four inspectors" to the shop, where they "weren't given half a chance" before being shuttered.
"After we saw the footage from YouTube, we deep cleaned the bakery for 7 hours and found NO mice," she told TODAY.com. "We believe it may have come from outside the garden. The health department also found ZERO mice. What they looked for were any holes larger than the tip of a ball point pen."
The bakery also released a statement suggesting the situation was unfair. "Due to the video that was released of one mouse scurrying across the floor for 5 seconds, the health department used it as evidence to ask us to re-cement and closed down the bakery for extermination," the bakery told TODAY.com via email.
"As a small, one-shop bakery, we often feel like we're being looked at under a tremendous microscope. A lot of time people don't see the larger ramifications of their actions and how a tiny video of a mouse running across the screen for 3 seconds can cause harm and damages to an honest, small business that people's livelihood depends on. When things get sensationalized like this, it is hardly fair. We, of course, believe that we run a clean and good operation, but see that we were targeted and will rise to the occasion to be even better.
"Chef says we will be doing everything that was asked of us, and hope to reopen on Monday. And he's sadden[ed] for our customers who had plans this weekend that we weren't able to welcome them. Our team will be here in person to speak to customers live."
Ma said the bakery has received many letters of support from fans.
"Looking forward, our hope is that honest, hard-working businesses should not have to face cruel and sensationalized attacks that are not framed in the proper context," the bakery posted on Facebook.