A burger bar near to the Stockport-Cheshire border has been slated by hygiene inspectors - slapping the eatery with the lowest possible rating. A report into Tropical Burger, Shakes & Waffle in Handforth found slug trails on a chopping board, uncovered food stored on a dirty floor, food past its best before - and a nightmarish staff toilet.
Hygiene examiners also noted that the owner did not have an “understanding and knowledge in basic hygiene practices such as the importance of hand washing.” They added: “I strongly advise that you don’t serve a customer with an allergy."
Since the inspection, the owner has said he will clean up his act. Jalal Bendraou added he expects the next review to produce a four out five star score, CheshireLive reports.
The inspector described the state of 'dirty chopping boards' in the kitchen: “There were slug trails on your red chopping board and the green and yellow chopping boards were dirty. This is unacceptable. These surfaces are used to handle food directly and must be thoroughly cleaned and maintained in clean condition. I was informed that this would be done immediately, it wasn’t done whilst I was on the premises.”
The inspector also found that, “Uncovered ice cream cones were placed directly on the floor,” adding that “the floor was dirty, poorly fitted in places, greasy in places," and also that “It was noted that the wash hand basin was not in regular use and hand contact surfaces were dirty which further emphasised the point that hands were not being washed at appropriate times.”
The inspector also warned of a dirty toilet which opens straight out into the kitchen area: “It was noted that the door to the toilet opens directly into the area next to the front preparation area. Toilets must not open directly into a room where food is handled and prepared.
“In addition to this the toilet compartment was in poor repair, the lid to the toilet has fallen off and the area is dirty. Thoroughly clean the paintwork, floor and wall surfaces and keep it in clean condition.” Further still, the inspector noted that “re-usable cloths were visibly dirty,” and that “There was no bin liner in your bin and no lid.”
Additionally, the inspector stated that: “Jarred pickled gherkins were found which were past their best before date,” that “The raw mince and raw chicken in the fridge were not covered,” and also that “Ready to eat turkey slices were left to thaw at room temperature. This practice encourages the growth of food poisoning bacteria.”
The inspector also criticised the overall condition of the kitchen, describing the walls as “damp in places, peeling paint and unfinished decoration, there is vinyl flooring taped on the walls, large holes, and lots of temporary tape.”
They continued, “there are holes in the ceiling, peeling paint and plaster, cobwebs,” and also: “There is tape on the side of the grill and rust… There is a shelf in the kitchen which is cluttered with items including drill and food that should be in the fridge… The microwave is dirty.”
The inspector added: “Despite having previously been served a hygiene improvement notice regarding your lack of training you have still not completed any kind of hygiene training. It is apparent during my visits that you lack understanding and knowledge in basic hygiene practices such as the importance of hand washing. As a food business operator, that is in charge of managing the safety of the food that is prepared on your premises to your customers, this is not acceptable.
The inspector finally warned that: “You have no procedure in place for dealing with customers with allergens… I strongly advise that you don’t serve a customer with an allergy."
The owner of Tropical, Jalal Bendraou, said: “At Tropical we take food hygiene extremely seriously and value our loyal customers so much. Earlier this month we had some administrative issues which affected some of our data gathering and paperwork - this in no way impacted the quality or safety of our food. We have taken on board in full the Council’s recommendations, and having been in contact with them today, we expect our rating of either 4 or 5 out of 5 to be fully published by Friday.”
