A clean-up crew began removing spoiled food from Kaimukī’s Happy Days restaurant on Tuesday, four days after Civil Beat reported how a structural collapse had turned the popular dim sum eatery into a crumbled den, spreading a rancid smell through the neighborhood and affecting local businesses.
After the restaurant’s ceiling caved in on diners last month, sending one kūpuna to the hospital, the building was deemed unsafe and cordoned off with police tape. Uneaten food and ingredients were left to decompose, attracting flies and emitting a foul stench. The property owner told Civil Beat last week that she was struggling to address the matter through insurance.
State health department officials initially deflected responsibility but Tuesday issued a statement saying they had gotten involved. The Honolulu Department of Planning and Permitting, which had originally told the building owner no one could enter the structure because it was a safety risk, clarified that “authorized agents” could go inside for the specific purpose of removing spoiled food — which a professional cleaning crew has started doing…