A seven-year-old boy needed emergency treatment after eating a burger at London’s iconic Trocadero where staff did not know the rules for serving up gluten-free food, a court has heard.
The boy’s medical emergency was suspected to be linked to the Rascal Burger he ate during a visit to the Rainforest Café in October 2021.
Inspectors from Westminster city council went to visit the venue, on Shaftesbury Avenue, and found a series of health and safety failings.
Southwark crown court heard staff at the eatery did not understand how to properly serve up safe gluten-free food, regular and gluten free-burger buns were stacked together risking cross-contamination, and staff training and record-keeping were not up to scratch.
On Friday, Judge Tony Baumgartner imposed a £45,000 fine on Trocadero (London) Hotel Limited, a company involved in the running of the café.
He said inspectors went in “following an incident where a young boy, aged seven, was said to have suffered an anaphylactic shock at the café.
“Inspectors found operators had failed to comply with mandatory hygiene practices for gluten free products, despite offering gluten free food.
“There were no procedures to identify, eliminate, and reduce hazards.”
The judge said notices of improvement were issued to the café, including an order for “food handlers at the café to be given proper training on adequate hygiene procedures and policies”.
But it failed a second inspection in December 2021, when staff “lacked sufficient knowledge of allergens” and procedures for serving gluten-free food were “being carried out haphazardly”.
The court heard another company was responsible for the day-to-day running of the café, but it was dissolved in April 2022.
Trocadero (London) Hotels Limited had some involvement in the management of the premises, and one of the firm’s director Marc Sandfort took urgent action to clean up the kitchen and improve procedures once he became aware of the problems after the second failed inspection.
The court also heard that the café had passed a 2020 council health and safety inspection with a four out of five star rating, when no issues had been raised about food allergen handling.
The judge said the company, which pleaded guilty to five health and safety breaches, had “accepted ultimate responsibility for ensuring food is prepared and served safely at the café”.
The court heard the company had a £19m turnover at the time of the incident, but the latest financial records show it was “loss-making last year” and net losses which exceed net assets.
Councillor Aicha Less, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Public Protection at Westminster City Council said: "The lapses in public safety in this case fall well below the standard we expect for restaurants in Westminster.
“I want to thank the Food and Health & Safety Team for their hard work and perseverance. Customers should have peace of mind when dining out in the city.
“We work with all businesses to ensure they maintain appropriate food standards and will not hesitate in taking action when customers at placed risk."
Trocadero (London) Hotels Limited is a company which operates hotels under the Zedwell brand, at locations overlooking Tottenham Court Road, Leicester Square, and Piccadilly Circus.
The Rainforest Café has now closed, and the premises is now run as a Bavarian beer hall.
The Trocadero opened in the late 1800s and made its name as an entertainment complex and world-famous tourist attraction.
The current owner of the premises, billionaire Asif Aziz, bought the building for £225 million in 2005 through his firm, Criterion Capital.
Mr Aziz was a director of Trocadero (London) Hotel Limited from 2014 until September 2020.
