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Hungry chef fined for eating on the job in Adelaide
WE all do it — have a nibble here and there while preparing dinner — but a patron at a Glenelg eatery took exception to seeing the chef do it, landing the hungry cook a $2500 fine.
The customer first complained to the waitress.
When the chef continued to eat on the job, the unhappy customer contacted the local council to report the cook’s snacking.
The resulting $2500 penalty made the restaurant the only food outlet in Holdfast Bay to receive a fine in the last financial year.
Council wouldn’t reveal the name of the restaurant fined, saying the fine was punishment enough.
The details of the complainant are also being kept under wrap.
The council’s annual report, released on October 27, showed 357 food outlets were inspected in that time. That was down from 366 in 2013/14.
Of the 357 inspections, 96 were to follow-up on how businesses were tracking after a breach of food safety standards.
Council staff handed out six warnings and six improvement notices, which resulted in follow-up inspections.
Holdfast Bay Mayor Stephen Patterson said an improvement notice was handed out to a Seacliff business after an inspector found the floor under the cookers to be covered in grease that had built up over a few months, providing a potential haven for cockroaches.
“Cockroaches love these dark, dirty areas,” Mr Patterson said.
“The council environmental health officer ensured it was cleaned, and have followed up to ensure routine cleaning.”
The inspector then watched as the worker wash and dry their hands on the same tea towel.
He gave a lesson in hand washing and instructed the worker to dry their hands on paper towel before handing a warning over to the business.
The council inspector put the breach down to the worker’s nerves, as the food outlet followed safety standards to the letter in all other areas.
Mr Patterson said the number of inspections should not alarm the community.
“They can be related to quite minor issues,” Mr Patterson said.
“(For example) where a business needs to regularly check the temperature of their food offerings, and their temperature probe has a flat battery on the day of an inspection, our team will follow up to ensure that the battery has been replaced.”
He said most businesses were eager to improve after an inspection, so the council opted to keep the locations secret.
“Minor breaches often happen when people lack knowledge, or if they are busy and doing things ‘without thinking’,” Mr Patterson said.
He said the Scores on Doors program, a SA Health food safety rating scheme being trialled in Holdfast Bay was trialling was helping food businesses comply with the Food Safety Act.
During Food Safety Week between November 8-15, the council will have a display on food safety at the Glenelg Library, providing takeaway information and free goodie bags.
Source: Adelaide Now, Amy Moran, 9th November 2015
Originally published as: Hungry chef fined for eating on the job in Adelaide
