Taco Shop's Trash Causes Big Stink With Deep Ellum Businesses
DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) - Piles of trash stacked up at a popular North Texas taco shop have some neighboring businesses claiming the trash is just the start of the problems.
Pictures surfaced this week of bags of trash sitting stacked up at the outside patio at Fuzzy's Taco Shop in Deep Ellum. The trash had sat there for days in the rain.
"It's terrible. It's not something that we're proud of," said Aly Bhagat, one of the owner of the Fuzzy's Taco Shop in Deep Ellum. "When I saw those pictures, I didn't know what to think myself."
The situation got so bad, the city paid the restaurant a visit on Thursday.
"Any time the fire marshal comes, you're kind of freaking out," said Bhagat.
He said with limited space in Deep Ellum, his restaurant often partners with nearby businesses to use the dumpsters they own.
"But that got shut down a couple weeks ago because it was being overused by a lot of restaurants," said Bhagat.
So Fuzzy's dumped the trash on the back patio until they could figure out a solution.
"This isn't on our employees. I take full blame for this," said Bhagat.
Fuzzy's insists their kitchen is clean and city records show it passed their latest health inspections.
Bhagat said they have now agreed on a deal with a nearby charter school to use its dumpsters moving forward.
"It's definitely something we glad we fixed," said Bhagat. "It's not going to be a problem anymore."
But some restaurants in Deep Ellum near Fuzzy's insist Bhagat's claim is not true.
They said Fuzzy's employees have been dumping trash in their bins without permission or paying for weeks.
Bhagat disagreed.
"I know what we're doing. I know that we're trying as hard as we can to be a good neighbor out here," said Bhagat.
Video shot on the same day appears to show the restaurant's GM dumping bags of trash behind Brick and Bones Restaurant.
"They know it's wrong and it's continuing to happen," said Cliff Edgar, owner of Brick and Bones.
Edgar said he never gave Fuzzy's permission to use their dumpster.
When reached for comment again, Bhagat said his GM thought he was dumping the trash in the charter school's bins, which is a block away, and chalked it up to a mistake and miscommunication.
"I don't look at this as miscommunication, I look at it as disrespect," said Edgar.
If Fuzzy's wants to be a good neighbor, Edgar said something needs to change.
"You're not just reflecting bad on your own business, you're reflecting bad to the neighborhood," said Edgar. "People are offended by it and it's embarrassing."
Bhagat later said he called Brick and Bones to apologize.
He is vowing to reach out to other businesses to see how they can all move forward.
Business owners said they will believe it when they see changes.