Mayfair restaurant ordered to pay £3,500 after mouse poo found in kitchen
By Jacob Phillips, Local Democracy Reporter
A Mayfair restaurant has been ordered to pay more than £3,500 after mouse poo was found in the kitchen.
Chucs restaurant in Dover Street was forced to close its doors after a visit from a Westminster City council health inspector on November 23, 2022.
The restaurant has since reopened, but now has to pay the council £3,592 after a short hearing at City of London Magistrates Court on Wednesday.
Mice droppings were found in food storage boxes as well as near to where food was prepared, according to Westminster’s barrister Tazafar Asghar.
The lawyer added: “There were mice droppings in contact with food operations. There was a risk of contamination at the premises.
“The inspector found mice droppings in the right-hand corner of the kitchen, mice droppings at ground level around the shelving units and in contact with food wrapping materials.
“Droppings were also found in a container with Chucs branded paper used for pizza.”
An emergency hygiene prohibition notice by the council and the restaurant was forced to close in the run-up to Christmas.
Photographs of the restaurant from the Westminster hygiene inspection were also shown to City of London magistrate Debbie Sandford.
The magistrate confirmed that the restaurant would have to pay £1,515 for the council health inspector’s time, as well as £2,035 for the time spent by the council’s services. It also had to pay a £42 victim surcharge fee.
The eight-table restaurant first opened in 2014, according to its website. Its menu includes a £17 club sandwich, £10 granola and a set menu for £31. The restaurant has a hygiene rating of two, according to the Food Standards Agency website.
The website adds that the restaurant needs to improve how it handles food and how clean the premises is.
The Food Standards Agency also raised concerns about the cleanliness and condition of the restaurant’s facilities.
A spokeswoman from Chucs said: “Following an inspection in November 2022, we took immediate action, implementing recommended procedures and training to ensure the highest standards are maintained across all our restaurants.”
Pictured top: Chucs restaurant in Mayfair (Picture: Jacob Phillips)
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