Serendipity 3 Closed for Health Violations

Guinness Record and Wealthy Clientele Did Not Ensure Cleanliness

Featured heavily in the news in 2007 for creating such extravagant desserts as the $1,000 Golden Opulence Sundae and the $25,000 Frozen Haute Chocolate Sundae, which made Guinness's Book of World Records as the world's most expensive dessert; eclectic four-star restaurant Serendipity 3 shut its doors on Wednesday, November 14, due to pest infestations. The closure comes a week after the announcement of its new record-holding dessert.

News of the infestations and resulting closure surely comes as a shock to many given the publicity of the now world-famous deserts and the long-standing history Serendipity 3 has with the rich and the famous. Located in New York's chichi Upper East Side, close to Bloomingdales; the Victorian décor, along with the location, give this restaurant an added air of style, grace, and opulence. Certainly not the setting in which one would imagine finding infestations of roaches, two types of flies, and mice. Health inspectors also found standing water in the two-story restaurant's basement. The landmark was closed after failing two health inspections in one month, according to a report from the Associated Press (AP).

Serendipity's website relates its history in a whimsical fashion, detailing how in 1954, three dreamers of fame and fortune named Calvin Holt, Stephen Bruce, and Patch Carradine established Serendipity 3. Patch Carradine, a crossword puzzle connoisseur, is credited with coming up with the name of the chic restaurant, which is defined on the restaurant's website as "The art of making happy discoveries, or finding the pleasantly unexpected by chance or sagacity".

They invested their combined lifesavings of $300 to start the New York coffeehouse and boutique. Serendipity 3 was a fast hit, and the need for more room and growth quickly became evident. The three owners responded accordingly.