There are fewer things more off-putting to an appetite than witnessing a horde of pests scurrying around the restaurant you're trying to grab food from, and unfortunately for one Toronto burger chain, this has been the case for a number of its customers.

A video has popped up online this week showing an apparent rat problem out front of a number of businesses at Yonge and Eglinton — yes, outside, thankfully not inside — with about a dozen of the little critters frantically running to and fro' across a sidewalk and seating space within feet of the entrances of multiple restaurants.

In the clip, it appears that the rodents have taken up residence under the stones of the sidewalk, ducking under them through gaps surrounding newly-planted trees .

On the strip is a Burger's Priest, Salus Fresh Foods, Playa Cabana Bar Esquina and a dentist's office, among other storefronts, some of which are clearly visible in the clip.

@311Toronto
What is the city doing about the rats?
This is at Yonge and Eglinton @JohnTory #rats pic.twitter.com/C8OvdpRe0Y

— Tasha (@TashaBee84) September 5, 2022

Though people who have shared and responded to the footage on social media are understandably disgusted by the sight — the original Reddit thread has garnered more than 330 comments and 1,100 upvotes — it's something that the city could have expected with so much construction in the area.

"We were told that this is a direct result from 'LRT construction disruption of the pavement system,'" Salus's owner tells blogTO, adding that the company has had to notify their landlord multiple times in the past and that a third-party pest control company has been tasked with keeping the rodents at bay.

"Thankfully, our store has not had any pest issues on our premises and we continue to remain super clean and always on the lookout until this never-ending construction project is over."

Both Metrolinx and the City of Toronto have acknowledged in the past that major work on projects like the Eglinton Crosstown LRT inevitably lead to rat issues as the animals are disturbed from their nesting ground.

A spokesperson for the transit agency told the CBC back in 2017 that they were already fielding such complaints around LRT construction locations as rats started seeking somewhere else to go.