One star hygiene rating ‘harsh’
The owner of an Indian restaurant in Maidstone has said a decision to give his restaurant a one-rating for food safety and hygiene was “very harsh”.
Tipu Chowdhury has been running the Spice Hut in Brewer Street since it opened 23 years ago and was shocked to see the eatery go from the top score of five stars to the second lowest a one rating.
Inspectors visited the Indian takeaway in September last year and criticised it for having a dirty wash area and because its food safety management plan was locked away in the owner’s office.
But Mr Chowdhury has since revealed that was a one-off, while he was away at a funeral in Birmingham. He said: “There were a lot of little things brought up which I thought were unfair and very harsh.
“It wasn’t clear the wash area, which was slightly dirty, was completely separate from the kitchen, and the management system was in my office which I asked the inspector to wait until I returned to show her.”
Mr Chowdhury says he made all the recommended changes within two weeks.
He added: “We changed everything that was asked and had the inspector back the following month.
“She visited and said she was happy with everything and we would go back to a five-star rating once we apply for a rescore.”
The restaurant owner says he will soon apply for a review to get the popular takeaway its “proper score”, but revealed he wants to renovate the back of house before he does.
“It’s a plan of mine to get the kitchen done first,” he said.
The report raised concerns about the condition of the kitchen, including mouldy sealant around the sink, which had been mentioned at a previous inspection, as well as damaged floor and wall tiles, and a shelf being used to hold the microwave being covered with old and dirty tape.
It added: “You must make sure the food management system and records are kept where it is available for staff at any time.”