A shocking one in four businesses on the Curry Mile are in need of ‘major improvement’, an exclusive MM report can reveal.
According to the Food Standards Agency, who carry out regular checks on businesses that serve hot food, many of Manchester’s favourite Rusholme eateries are falling well below acceptable standards.
In 2013, MM reported that one in ten establishments on the world-famous road received a food hygiene score of one, meaning they needed major improvement.
Despite this warning, the most recent inspections show that standards are still on the decline.
Some of the offenders include Sadaf takeaway, Kobeda Place and Lal Qila, who all scored the poor rating.
Comments from angry customers on TripAdvisor also complained that many restaurants on the Curry Mile are serving visitors low quality and often dangerous food.
Indian restaurant Lal Qila received more ‘poor’ and ‘terrible’ reviews than ‘good’ and ‘excellent’ on the popular review website, and two customers within the last three weeks claimed that their bill had been over inflated by staff, as they were charged for grub they did not order.
Katie Gallager wrote: “Service was absolutely terrible and table was dirty, I had to go and get my own plates & find a waiter.
“Staff were very rude and ruined a whole evening, even though problems were reported to the manager nothing was dealt with, I wouldn’t recommend to anyone go to a takeaway rather than dine here!”
Kobeda Place was also slammed by user Haroon-Ali, who said: “Quality of the food was rubbish having tried kobeda kebabs elsewhere before this was of poor quality. Also lambs were not cooked properly.
“Now I have an upset stomach and overall these guys need to improve on food and service.”
In September, one report even showed that a restaurant just off the Curry Mile, the Barwaqo Café, had been shut down due to its appalling standards, after the business was slapped with the rock bottom score of 0 – meaning urgent improvement needed.
The report obtained by MM said: “The condition of the premises presents an imminent food safety risk owing to very dirty conditions and a mouse and cockroach infestation.”
The document also revealed that most of the staff at the restaurant did not have food hygiene training or the necessary qualifications needed to safely handle food.
When approached for comment by MM, Councillor Rabnawaz Akbar of Rusholme Ward said: “Speaking to some of the businesses, they claim that in a lot of the cases they have been knocked back because of the condition of the structure of the building, for example, lighting, ventilation, layout, drainage, and not for how hygienically the food is handled.
“I believe this survey highlights how important it is that businesses in the Rusholme District Centre begin to realise that the condition of the building is an outward manifestation of how seriously their business takes their food hygiene standards and is an integral part of the Food Hygiene Rating Scheme.
“The Curry Mile remains a popular destination for visitors to Manchester from across the world and if the businesses made a determined effort to improve their Food Hygiene Ratings then I am confident that this would result in an increase in business for the traders in the Rusholme District Centre.”
Image courtesy of Alex Pepperhill, via Flickr, with thanks.
