I don’t think I’ve ever heard of a restaurant receiving a zero food hygiene rating before, but a branch of Karen’s Diner in Friars Walk, Newport, Wales, has managed that just weeks after it first opened.
The idea behind the American-style diner is that the staff yell at you, call you stupid, and generally do their best to disrespect you and treat you with disdain, with the trade-off being that the food is meant to be pretty good. Maybe the staff abused the inspector as soon as he walked in and that’s why he gave them the worst rating possible?
Paul Levin, the man who oversees Karen’s Diner’s operations in the UK and Europe, said that the Newport restaurant has now changed its head chefs since the inspection and that the kitchen is ‘now how a kitchen should be’.
They’ve already written to the council to request another visit, in the hopes the zero hygiene rating will be overturned.
A spokesperson for Karen’s Diner in Newport said:
The visit took place five days after the official opening, whereby the restaurant had experienced delays with the gas installation. The fast hygiene inspection is thought to have been conducted due to the large media attention received by the opening of the immersive experience diner.
Karen’s Diner remains committed in ensuring the utmost care and attention is provided when it comes to food and hygiene standards, and following advice on necessary improvements by Newport City Council, has requested a revisit for the diner to be rescored to its deserved hygiene level.
It’s not the only Karen’s Diner branch that’s failed to impress inspectors; the Sheffield branch has a two, which means that improvement is necessary, according to the Food Standards Agency website. The Birmingham branch is even worse with a one rating, meaning major improvement is necessary.
Meanwhile, Karen’s Diner in Gillingham is leading the pack with a five hygiene rating. So it looks like there’s hope yet for their colleagues in Newport.
For the Karen’s Diner customer who kicked off at staff after they body-shamed him, click HERE. Some insults are off limits, it seems.
