By JOSIE CLARKE consumer reporter
Urban myths: harmless tall stories? Not when one of them has almost put an Auckland restaurant out of business.
A group of unidentified people have relaunched the myth of cat dinners in Chinese restaurants to attack the owners of the Golden Express Chinese Buffet at Westgate, the
big West Auckland shopping centre.
The four-month campaign, alleging authorities closed the Golden Express after finding cats in the restaurant's freezer, has disgusted owners Vicki and Tony Young and cost them $3000 a week in revenue.
Both the Waitakere City Council and Auckland's Public Health Protection Service confirm they have never closed the Golden Express.
What's more, Public Health Protection food programme manager Kathy Pritchard says she has never substantiated a "cat-bone claim" in her 20 years with the service.
That is despite an average of six calls a year from nervous members of the public.
"Honestly, people have rung us saying they've found a bit of bone in their food and they reckon it's cat."
The Youngs, who took over the restaurant in January last year, became aware of the rumour when a group of neighbouring businesses asked if it was true that the Golden Express had been ordered to close.
"Here we are trying to do all we can, but outside our doors everyone is talking about these rumours," said Vicki Young.
As the weeks passed, the astonished couple heard they had up to 35 cats and dogs hanging in their freezer.
Mr Young said the line of customers who queued for service on a Friday and Saturday night abruptly disappeared and had stayed away for three months. "People are just starting to return now, since we've advertised that the rumours are false."
They have called in lawyer Liz Mitchell, who says she will take legal action against anyone making false allegations about the Youngs or their business.
The Youngs even considered hiring a private investigator, but believe it would be impossible to prove who started the gossip.
Vicki Young, who grew up in Henderson, said she had no idea how she and her husband had become the butt of "malicious" rumours.
"We are really, really disgusted with the way rumours can spread ... It's us this time, but who will it be next time?"
