Owner of cockroach-infested buffet says venue "not that bad"
HEALTH inspectors found cockroaches crawling out of a soap dispenser, food left standing uncovered and cooking equipment covered in congealed grease.
Yet the owner of a Caloundra restaurant convicted on nine breaches of the Food Act says the problems in his kitchen have been blown out of proportion.
Jerry Lai, owner of Centrepoint Buffet, was fined $17,000 on charges relating to food hygiene and cleanliness when he fronted Caloundra Magistrate Court on Tuesday.
It was the first time in at least 15 years that the council had prosecuted a Sunshine Coast food outlet over its lack of hygiene but Mr Lai said he had been treated unfairly.
"I just run a small business and now they tell everybody I am no good," he said.
"I have been in business 19 years and every year I do okay (with Sunshine Coast Council inspections), then this happen and it is not so good.
"It happen in February (the inspection) and we close for 10 days and spend time and money to make it better.
"Now it is better - we do the best we can."
Council health inspectors told magistrate Stephanie Tonkin they identified four major breaches of the Food Act when they visited the restaurant on February 3.
That included stored food that was at risk of contamination, signs of a serious cockroach infestation, unhygienic hand-washing facilities and an accumulation of grease on equipment that had not been properly cleaned.
Photos taken on the day paint a sickening picture but a defiant Mr Lai claimed they exaggerated the problem.
"The photos, they make it look worse (than it was)," he said.
"You might look and say 'so dirty' but I say it was not that bad.
"You stand in your kitchen you use every day and it looks okay but take a photo and it looks worse.
"I can't say there was nothing wrong. We had to improve and we did the best we could."
Council's Coordinator Healthy Places, Jason Bower, said the council preferred to work with food outlets to rectify any problems but this had not been possible with Mr Lai as the process had "broken down".
There were about 1800 food premises in the council area which required annual inspections but this was the first time a case had continued to prosecution in his 15 years with council.
"The food industry on the Coast has very high standards and we have a 95% compliance rate," he said.
"On average, we have no more than half a dozen temporary closures a year for non-compliance and that has dropped this year.
"Council takes food safety seriously and works with food businesses to ensure they meet the food safety standards.
"When a business fails to work with council, we have no option left but to prosecute to enforce the law to protect the community."
He said Mr Lai's restaurant had passed all inspections since re-opening, including one on the morning of the court case.
It would be closely monitored until health inspectors were confident the problem had been permanently rectified.
Reviews of the Centrepoint Buffet posted online:
Taking someone here could considered be attempted murder. Never again. Joshua Jager. Three months ago.
The only way to make yourself continue eating and not imagine what the kitchen must look like was to imagine you were Bear Grylls and you'd caught the seafood yourself. Adam Duncan. Three years ago.
So-called clean plates and dishers were greasy and dirty, the floor and tables were sticky, chairs were stained - everything was dirty. A Google User. Three years ago.
Source: Sunshine Coast Daily, Damian Bathersby, 6th August 2015
Originally published as: Owner of cockroach-infested buffet says venue "not that bad"
