A few months after enduring an E. coli outbreak, about a dozen rats were seen having a good time Friday in a locked KFC/Taco Bell restaurant in New York City. The rat infestation was brought to public eye after a TV crew captured shots of rats through a window of the Greenwich Village building.

Video footage of the rats was seen around the world, broadcast on TV stations and the Internet.

The video triggered the arrival of health inspectors on the scene forcing the parent company for KFC and Taco Bell, Yum Brands, Inc., to shut down the store.

The company blames construction in the basement on Thursday for the appearance of rodents. "This is completely unacceptable and is an absolute violation of our high standards," Yum Brands said in a statement.

Densely populated New York City has long faced the problem of rats as they hide in subway tunnels, trash bins and parks. The problem is more common in Greenwich Village as it harbors a lot of older buildings and a series of subway lines just below street level.