Having a greasy takeaway after watching a nail-biting footie game is a must.
During this Euros 2016 season, MM went out to Manchester’s football stadiums to discover the city’s worst ten post-football takeaways.
And the results were surprising!
Though Man United came second, it was thought they’d be a clear number one after the Red Devil’s Fish and Chips near Old Trafford was closed in April with a rating of zero when inspectors found a dead mouse and rodent droppings inside.
Takeaways near Wigan Athletic’s D.W. Stadium must have been the worst – when MM tried to contact Wigan Council to get hold of the hygiene reports they refused to release the information, so they have been disqualified from final table.
And when MM tried to contact Rochdale Council, they claimed they did not have the reports for takeaways near Rochdale AFC’s Spotland Stadium.
Take from that what you will, but here are the final results in MM’s worst post-footie takeaway league.
1. Oldham Athletic – Montana Fried Chicken
Top of the list for the worst post-football takeaways in Manchester.
“All mouse droppings must be removed and you should contact your pest contractor,” the latest food hygiene report advises.
Last inspected in September 2015, Montana Fried Chicken on Yorkshire Street received a hygiene rating of one.
The report also pointed out that the takeaway has no way of checking food temperatures, that there is no evidence of food hygiene training, that a thorough clean is needed throughout and that ‘an anti-bacterial cleaner must be used on food and hand contact surfaces’.
Not exactly what the 13,000 Oldham Athletic fans wanted to hear about their local chicken shop.
A huge shame considering it sells a bargain bucket for under a tenner and is just a half an hour walk from Boundary Park.
According to the Oldham Council’s inspection report, a re-visit was arranged that month, but the rating remains a one.
MM made several attempts to contact Montana Fried Chicken’s manager for comment.
But an employee at the takeaway, who did not wish to be named, told our reporter that another rating should have been given in December 2015 but the inspectors have not returned since September.
2. Manchester United – Chunky’z
After finishing fifth in the Premier League, Man United aren’t used to seeing the bottom of the table, but unfortunately Chunky’z, on Great Stone Road just 20 minutes from Old Trafford, has relegated the club in MM’s league.
The takeaway received a food hygiene rating of one in December 2015 after the inspector found evidence of mice.
The report claimed that the standards of cleaning in the takeaway were poor and ‘immediate attention [was] needed’.
It also said that there was no monitoring of the food temperatures and that ‘staff need protective clothing’.
Several attempts were made to contact the manager at Chunky’z for comment, but each time MM’s reporter called they were told to ring at another specific time when the manager would be in – they weren’t.
3. Manchester United – Mei Mei
Man United have disappointed again with another takeaway in Manchester’s worst three post-football takeaways.
Mei Mei, a Chinese takeaway on Norway Street, have been caught with ‘a lot of cross contamination risks’, including defrosting some duck under a running tap next to food being cooked.
And, even worse, the report states: “The rear room is not currently suitable to use as a food room as there is no proper ceiling.”
Because of this, they were given a hygiene rating of one in February this year.
Chai Ling Pee, manager of Mei Mei, did not wish to make a comment about this rating but was keen to point out that the hygiene inspector will be making another visit to the takeaway in the next few weeks.
4. Oldham Athletic – Ali’s House
Oldham Athletic make a second appearance in the top five with Ali’s House.
“Container of mouldy milk powder thrown out at inspection,” the hygiene report says.
Great start.
Maybe think twice when going for your post-football Masala as the inspector claimed the whole business requires a deep clean.
The whole milk-thing didn’t go down too well and Ali’s was given a score of one in June last year.
An attempt was made to contact the manager for comment.
5. Bolton Wanderers – Burger Bar
When forming our list of worst takeaways, Burger Bar came out on top with a rating of zero in October 2015.
The takeaway has been re-inspected in the last few weeks and given a rating of three.
But, after the inspector’s initial comments, MM decided to still include it in the league table.
The report claimed that raw burgers were being stored next to cheesecake in the kitchen freezer while the inspector also noticed that ‘food which was unfit for consumption was found on [it’s] premises’, including black olives, green peppers, mushrooms and pepperoni.
Bleach was being stored next to some red onions and the area needed cleaning, including a long list of equipment such as the pizza oven, food storage containers and the flour bin.
The report also pointed out that the ‘chest freezer in the cellar was not working correctly’ so ‘food was being stored on the floor’ when the inspector was visiting.
Manager Masoud Kehtar recognised this fault and was keen to point to their new rating.
When initially contacted he said: “We are not happy to get that zero.
“When the inspector came the meat freezer had gone out so we had to take everything out of the freezer.
“They just don’t accept this situation.
“I have never had this situation in the last six or seven years.
“We worked really, really hard to get things back to normal and we invited them to come back.
“They came back three weeks ago and we got a new rating of three.”
It’s good to hear that Burger Bar have made improvements and I’m sure Bolton fans will be pleased that they can return for their post-footie burger.
6. Bury FC – Dixy Chicken
Bury’s first appearance in the league table comes from a disappointing score by Dixy Chicken which earned a food hygiene rating of one in March this year.
The report noted that there were signs of cross contamination and that a deep clean was needed of all the surfaces, including the takeaway’s salad bar.
With 12 Dixy wings for less than £3.40, it’s a shame the rating couldn’t match the bargain.
Mr M Ilyas, manager of Dixy Chicken, said: “Well it was a bit of a biased review because when the health inspector came round there was no manager here to show them all the books and all the paperwork.
“If you look extensively at our rating it just says bad management, it doesn’t say anything about bad health or bad hygiene.
“She was in a bit of a hurry as well, because someone did phone me up to come down but by the time I came down she was gone.
“We are waiting for them to come round because they are supposed to come back in six months of that rating but they haven’t been back since then.”
7. Manchester City – Chick Inn
Given a rating of one in March, Chick Inn brings Manchester City into the table.
Just a 20 minute walk from the Etihad on Ashton New Road, the takeaway is an easy spot for the Etihad’s 60,000 visitors to grab some chicken after the game – because everyone loves chicken!
But the rating advised that the takeaway must ‘have access to continuous hot water throughout the premises’ and the inspector ‘recommend[ed] a probe to check internal temperatures of chicken’.
The comments don’t bode too well and an attempt was made to contact Chick Inn for comment.
8. Bury FC – Spicy Chef
This takeaway on Rochdale Road wasn’t scored too highly either.
Spicy Chef is just a 20 minute walk from Gigg Lane and boasts a half pounder meal for just £4.00 – not bad!
But it was slammed with a hygiene rating of one in October 2015 after it was discovered that ‘ready to eat foods [were] stored below law heat’ and ‘currently no staff have food hygiene training’.
Several attempts were made to contact Spicy Chef but MM’s reporter was told on a number of occasions that the manager was on holiday.
9. Manchester City – Dominic’s
Just half an hour from the Etihad, Dominic’s was also given a rating of one in June last year.
The inspector advised the takeaway to ‘contact and employ a pest control contractor to carry out a full survey and any necessary treatments’.
With a pizza from under a fiver, Dominic’s must be a hotspot for Man City fans.
An attempt was made to contact the takeaway for comment.
10. Bury FC – Raja’s Pizza Bar
Bury’s third appearance in MM’s takeaway league, Raja’s was awarded a rating of one in February this year.
According to the report, Raja’s has no temperature monitoring with food in heated cabinets being stored at 48 degrees, when it must be held above 63 degrees.
Raja’s have been contacted for comment.
