This post was updated 5/21/24 at 2 PM

A popular Arkadelphia fast-food restaurant was temporarily closed for pest eradication.

The McDonald’s at 3114 Pine St., Arkadelphia, was closed on the evening of Monday, May 20, 2024. Entrances to the eatery were taped off as Ecolab vehicles were parked outside. Ecolab is a company that specializes in treatment and hygiene, and is commonly contracted in the food industry to remove pests.

Franchise owner Steve Montgomery told arkadelphian.com Tuesday morning that the decision to eradicate rodents was his own, and it was done in preparation for new ownership next week. The restaurant will re-open for business Wednesday morning to serve lunch beginning at 10:30 a.m., Montgomery said.

The Arkadelphia McDonald’s location had come under social media scrutiny in recent months as customers took to Facebook with complaints of rats. Montgomery, who owns several McDonald’s locations in Arkansas but is set to retire, said the Arkadelphia location has gotten clean bills of health from the county Health Unit inspector and a third party, although he acknowledged there have been health inspector visits in recent months due to complaints.

A food establishment inspection report dated May 7, 2024, written by inspector Dennis Fendley, notes that “the facility was observed with pests in the ceiling. I heard them running around in the ceiling and observed ceiling tiles that have been chewed through. … Get the pests exterminated and keep the facility free of pests.”