Tony’s Kitchen: Signs of rats in yard of Sheffield cafe scores it a hygiene rating of 2 at inspection

One café in the Heeley area of Sheffield has been told it needs to make improvements to its cleanliness at a recent hygiene inspection.

Tony’s Kitchen, on Chesterfield Road, was inspected on December 19, 2023 where it was handed a food hygiene rating of two. Following a request from The Star, under the Freedom of Information Act, The Star has received the full report of the inspection. 

The hygiene scoring system was created by the Food Standards Agency and runs in partnership with local authorities such as Sheffield City Council. It aims to help the public to make informed decisions about where they choose to eat.

The main area in need of improvement at the time of inspection was the cleanliness and condition of the facilities and building. The report reads: "There were indications of rat activity in the rear shared yard area - droppings and burrows under decking/planters.

"You must take all reasonable precautions to prevent food pests, e.g. rats, mice, cockroaches and flying insects gaining entry into food storage and preparation areas."

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The inspector added: "You should devise a written cleaning schedule to ensure that all parts of the premises, equipment and utensils are thoroughly cleaned, on a regular basis."

Areas that were "not in a good condition or were not able to be easily cleaned" at the time of inspection included damaged flooring in the kitchen, flaking paint, and a broken handle. Areas that "were not clean" included dusty pipes, cobwebs in the WC, sticky food containers, and "residue build-up" at various touch points.

At the time of inspection, one of the refrigerators was flashing a warning, and the display indicated it was running at 9C. The report reads: "Core temperatures of food checked indicated the refrigerator was not working correctly.

"Daily temperature checks of all the refrigerators must be made. High-risk food must be kept at or below 8C."

Staff were also seen not wearing any protective clothing. It was noted that appropriate supplies of clean protective clothing must be provided to staff, and that all food handlers must also receive adequate supervision, instruction and/or training in food hygiene.

The report states that a further re-visit will be carried out to check progress with the work and to assess whether any enforcement action is needed.

Tony's Kitchen has a 4.8 out of 5 star rating on Uber Eats from 68 customer reviews. It is labelled "one of the best spots on Uber Eats" by the food delivery platform.