Virginia Senate candidate’s DC restaurant was cited by health department for rodents

Republican Virginia state Senate candidate Juan Pablo Segura cites his business acumen as his chief qualification for public office, but his Washington, D.C., restaurant chain has been plagued with health code violations.

Segura co-founded District Doughnut, which operates multiple locations in Washington, D.C., in 2014. He is running in the 31st Senate District, a newly redistricted Northern Virginia seat that contains portions of Loudoun and Fauquier counties, in the election ending Nov. 7. He faces Democrat Russet Perry, a former CIA officer, in a race that could determine party control of the Senate for the next four years.

All 40 seats in the Virginia Senate and all 100 House of Delegates seats will be determined in this year’s elections. Democrats currently hold a narrow majority in the Senate; Republicans have a small majority in the House.

In 2016, District Doughnut’s flagship location was written up by a DC Health inspector for failing to provide a pest control service report. In 2018, the store was cited again for failing to have an up-to-date report.

The problems persisted into 2022, when an inspector noted rodent droppings next to carry-out boxes and a gap in the back door through which rodents and insects could enter the establishment. In 2023, small flies were observed in the warewashing and mop sink area.

In 2015, an inspector noted a freezer condenser that was leaking onto food products. In 2018, the store was written up again for having dirty floors.

A May 2023 report said the restroom door did not self-close and coffee brewing equipment was stored in the area to which the toilet door opened. The same report noted that employees could not sufficiently wash their hands.

A Segura campaign spokesperson did not immediately respond to questions for this story.

“I am running because I believe that fixing our politics requires entrepreneurs and innovators, problem solvers,” Segura told Virginia station WJLA in October.

Segura lived and worked in Washington, D.C. before moving to District 31 in August 2022.

Perry, who has lived in Loudoun for almost two decades, accused Segura of carpetbagging, saying, “I think the residents of this district deserve someone who lives here, who is tied in, who is invested in this district.”