Rivervale lunch bar tried its best despite food safety convictions

A Vietnamese-style lunch bar in Rivervale that copped $20,000 in fines for food safety convictions has been defended by its owner.

Continental Cafe Lunch Bar on Great Eastern Highway was convicted of four breaches of the Food Act 2008 related to failure to store food to protect it from contamination, failure to store potentially hazardous food under temperature control, not maintaining the premises to a standard or cleanliness and not maintaining equipment to a standard of cleanliness.

However, owner Helen Nguyen said she and her husband has struggled to keep up with demands from City of Belmont health inspectors.

“We bought the business four years ago, but the shop was 25-years-old at the time,” she said. “We have changed almost all of the equipment but each time they come in there is something new that they find.”

Nguyen said a communication breakdown between the health inspectors and her staff had led to some of the recent convictions.

“I’m pregnant, and my husband and I work really, really hard,” she said. “We try our best and everyone – especially our customers – have told us what a great job we’ve done with the place.”

Sheridan Randall, 22^nd November 2018