mice in restaurant

Mara69

texranger wrote: »

the chains HQ may not be aware of any problem as that manager may not want HQ breathing down his neck saying he cant manager his premises

Maybe not. Personally, I'd still not bother with letters of complaint. The company are dealing with the situation.

Valli

CrazyRatLady wrote: »

Wouldn't bother me - just because there's mice doesn't mean somewhere is unclean.
If that had been me I would have said something to whoever I was with about how cute it was and carried on with my meal. It's not like the mice made the dinner, as long as the food is stored correctly the mice won't have come into contact with it.
Seems a bit of a non issue to me - they already know they have mice and are dealing with it.

well quite, given your username.

But given that mice will wee and poo anywhere they are running of course it means the place is unclean. And those mice aren't starving in there - they are finding food somewhere.

texranger

Mara69 wrote: »

Maybe not. Personally, I'd still not bother with letters of complaint. The company are dealing with the situation.

so they say, not very well if they have mice in the dining area. i would have taken a photo on my phone of the mice in the dining area and informed the EHO.

alexanderalexander

You're making too much of this. Mice regularly get into buildings, it isn't a big deal. I have had an occasional mouse problem pretty much everywhere I've ever lived. It sounds like they're dealing with the problem.

elsien

esuhl wrote: »

Good grief! I should hope that most people have never had mice at home!

I've had the little buggars in my kitchen for the last few weeks. I don't want to put poison down as I don't want them dying behind my cupboards where I can't reach them, but they are completely ignoring my carefully baited traps. My kitchen has never been so clean, my food is carefully packed in sealed containers. But I still have mice.:( And I am a town dweller -talking to work colleagues it's not as unusual as you might think.

madammim_2

thanks for all your replies. Yes, I got my refund and went elsewhere so I was satisfied with the way it was dealt with and I dont intend to cause a fuss or ask for anything extra. I suppose what I really wanted an opinion on was whether it was my duty to make head office or anybody else aware in the interests of future diners as it made us feel uncomfortable. I found a customer feedback form on their website anyway so completed that. We'll see how they respond. If you don't tell em, they can't fix it

Jeff_Bridges_hair

So you could say the place wasnt squeaky clean then?

bod1467

hippygran

texranger wrote: »

If their are Mice in the Dining area then the EHO will not be aware of this as they would place a closure notice on the premises until this is cleared and sorted

Sorry, but this is not correct! If the establishment are doing all they can (such as rodent proofing, using a pest control company), the EHO would not close them down. I know because I ran an establishment and (short term), we had a mouse problem, and at no point did the EHO even raise an eyebrow!

The place would have to be really teeming with mice and/or really, really filthy AND have to ignored several warnings and improvement notices before a closure notice would be utilized.

Most people would be amazed at just what these places can get up to in terms of filth before serious steps are taken. The EHO are often more concerned that paper work is up to date!

Also in an unrelated experience, I once witnessed a RAT at a local takeaway. This was so obviously a common occurrence (could tell by the laid back attitude of the staff who showed no surprise or disgust at the rat's presence - more 'is a rat - what is the problem!!), that I did report it to the EHO, and what was done - NOTHING! The EHO told me that they would investigate, but that it had probably 'just wandered in'. I strongly suspected that this was not the case due to staff attitude! The EHO never rang me back as promised.

OP - if the establishment refunded and apologised, and told you that they have a pest control company dealing with it, then there is no point in involving the EHO, unless it either will make YOU feel better, or if you believe they may be lying about the measures they are taking.

The EHO will probably not visit anyway, if they have a good relationship with the management of the establishment, and are assured that correct procedures are in place.

Food safety laws centre mostly around 'best practice'. All the food handlers can actually do is put procedures in place to prevent problems, but it is an acknowledged fact that problems can (and do) still occur. It is how the problems are dealt with that will count, what practises are followed that matter, and if staff show 'due diligence' not just the fact that there is a mouse in a premises.

Most food places will have encountered this at some point, as they have all the things a little mouse seeks (warmth, food, shelter), and this will stand whether the premises is in a town or a city.

If you have never had a mouse in your home, then this is either sheer luck (or you never saw it!), as mice will head for shelter in winter (whether town, city or country) where ever they can find it!

A lot will depend on the structure of the building (they love cavities and nooks and crannies). Having said that most newer properties are more rodent proof, but still, all it takes is a door or window open!

And the little !!!!!!s can flatten their bodies to squeeze through tiny, tiny gaps!!

If I ever eat out nowadays, I will either look up the rating of the said establishment on the net or look at the kitchen first (most LA's now publish star ratings on the internet), and places are graded 1-5 stars. Less than 3 stars I won't even consider (since I believe that even if they lost points for lack of paperwork - that they shouldn't be running a food outlet if they can't fill in a few forms and comply with the law), 3 stars I would consider (but only if I can see the kitchen! - even by peeking through the door as people go in and out!). 4 or 5 stars I would happily use, as this indicates to me that the management know what they are doing. (To get 5 stars is very, very difficult - and does not just go on whether the place is clean, it depends on lots of other factors including regular staff training).

The place with the mouse could have been 5 stars, with the cleanest kitchen in the world, and still get an occasional visitor!

brightonman123

#nameandshame with#town and #company names, on twitter - soon gets action, warns other people.

vermin is SERIOUS health issue. good eating tho, if cooked right.. ;-)