Council inspection closes Matt Moran restaurant
Celebrity chef Matt Moran has been forced to temporarily close one of his restaurants after a council inspection found “deficiencies” in its “food-handling processes”.
Riverbar & Kitchen shut down after Brisbane City Council officials carried out an inspection at the riverside venue on Tuesday.
The restaurant has since re-opened.
Moran’s Solotel Group did not spell out exactly why it had closed the restaurant.
Its statement just said “deficiencies” in food handling had been identified during the inspection.
“Riverbar & Kitchen, Brisbane has unfortunately had to close temporarily due to some issues with its food business licence,” the Solotel statement.
“A recent council inspection found some deficiencies in our food handling processes which are being addressed as a matter of urgency.
“Solotel takes these issues very seriously and we acknowledge we took our eye off the ball on this occasion, and our normally very high standards were not adhered to this time. We sincerely apologise to our customers for this lapse and are doing everything we can to rectify the problems as soon as possible.”
Brisbane City Council declined to go into too much detail about the case.
“Council requires Brisbane food businesses to meet strict food safety standards,” a council spokeswoman told The Australian. “Each and every complaint made to council about food safety is investigated with an inspection, and food businesses are not allowed to continue operating if they present a health risk to the public.
“Council also conducts regular proactive inspections of food businesses, to ensure all food safety standards are being met.”
The restaurant’s web site describes the venue as a “one-of-a-kind waterfront destination” with spectacular views and the best beer garden in Brisbane.
The venue, which has been open for five years, says it has had no issue prior to this incident. It is the first time this has happened.
by Leon Gettler, February 5th 2017.
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