Officials said a name-brand restaurant dumped grease into Boise-area sewers. Now this
Garden City has reached a settlement with the Applebee’s Grill and Bar on North Glenwood Street. The city sued the restaurant in June, accusing it of dumping grease, fats and oils into the sewers despite repeated warnings.
Garden City had repeatedly admonished the business for failing to adhere to city code, which requires the restaurant to use grease traps and other interceptors to keep fat solids from building up in sewer lines, the Idaho Statesman previously reported.
The settlement, reached in October, required the restaurant — located at 7025 N. Glenwood St. — to install a second grease trap, remain on a 60-day pumping schedule and pay Garden City about $5,000, Charles Wadams, Garden City’s attorney, told the Statesman by email.
“This settlement agreement with Applebee’s is a successful result for the city of Garden City and members of the public,” Wadams said. “The city is pleased we could resolve the dispute amicably because Applebee’s has been a valued business partner in the community.”
The settlement, reported by BoiseDev, addresses problems that started in 2018, when an unnamed business near the Applebee’s reported that its own sewers were blocked up, according to court documents. When Garden City investigated, officials found that Applebee’s was to blame. They issued the restaurant a “notice of violation” of city code.
In the following years, Garden City repeatedly investigated the sewer lines at the property and found more violations, notifying Applebee’s each time, but problems persisted.
Garden City contracts with Boise for its wastewater treatment, according to the lawsuit, and is subject to fines by Boise — or even a refusal to process Garden City wastewater — if it deposits excessive grease or oil into the sewer system.
This story was originally published January 8, 2025 at 1:38 PM.
