KANSAS CITY, Mo. - An exclusive NBC Action News investigation uncovers new troubles for Bice restaurant.
We first exposed fish substitution at the Power & Light District bistro in May.
We’ve now learned government agents are now reviewing our investigation.
That comes on top of rent problems and now missing payrolls.
Over Friday’s noon hour, only a couple of full tables sat on the patio outside Bice and no customers were at tables inside.
That as a
wire story went out Friday to 400 publications nationwide based largely on
our May fish substitution investigation.
Out of 20 metro restaurants we tested, 17 restaurants - 85 percent - substituted fish.
At Bice we order red grouper.
They served us much cheaper Sutchi Catfish instead.
As of Friday, staff acknowledges they're still serving the same Sutchi Catfish at Bice, but they’ve taken the word “grouper” off the menu.
Bice is now listing the catfish as “Cernia pacific white fish.”
But, there's no such thing as Cernia fish named on the FDA Seafood list of authorized marketing terms.
An Internet search pulled up translations for Cernia as a grouper dish.
A Kansas City Health Department spokesman says since the restaurant no longer specifically calls the item grouper, it is currently in compliance with city regulations.
Friday's
headline in the Chicago Sun-Times read: “Bice Busted. Eateries Caught in Fish Fraud.”
According to the Scripps Howard News Service report published in the Sun-Times and other publications, the FTC is now reviewing the NBC Action News May investigation to see if Bice's practice amounts to false advertising.
When we went inside Bice Friday, no one would go on camera, but staff inside confirmed a viewer's tip that the restaurant is also behind on its payroll.
Bice is an international chain. At the West Palm Beach restaurant they had a similar payroll problem in March.
WPTV reported management cited financial problems for behind in making payroll.
The manager of KC's Bice phoned NBC Action News Friday acknowledging they have been at least two weeks behind in paychecks and he expects that to be resolved next week.
He says a check arrived this week making the restaurant just one week behind.
The payroll problem comes just a week, he says, after Bice settled a dispute over back rent with the Cordish Company.
On the possible federal investigation into fish fraud at Bice, he had no comment.
