Tunbridge Wells Burger King gets worst food hygiene rating

The new branch been given the lowest food hygiene rating of any of the chain’s branches in the country

The Tunbridge Wells restaurant, which has only been serving customers for a few months, was criticised for using “dirty and greasy” equipment.

But the borough council says the problems at the Mount Pleasant Road restaurant have since been fixed, and the site has now been given a new five-star rating.

A food hygiene inspector from the authority visited the fast-food outlet on August 30 and gave it a rating of one out of five, meaning “major improvements” were necessary.

The report said: “The probe thermometer that you are using for checking temperatures during cooking of food was dirty and greasy and therefore, is not being adequately cleaned and disinfected between uses.

“There is a risk of cross-contamination if the probe is used on food that is not fully cooked and then used again on a cooked or ready to eat food without adequate disinfection in between.”

Burger King has only been open in the Grade II-listed building since August.

The town centre unit was occupied by WHSmith until late last year, with the burger joint submitting a planning application to take it over in September 2023.

Its application sought to make minor refurbishments to the property to make it suitable.

Before that Tunbridge Wells had been without a Burger King since 2005, when the previous outlet, which was also in Mount Pleasant Road, closed.

The building is part of the former Opera House and Colonnade which is also home to several independent shops and the town’s Wetherspoon pub.

The council hygiene inspector said in their report: “All equipment with which food comes into contact must be effectively cleaned and disinfected to avoid any risk of contamination.

“Ensure that you clean and disinfect your probe thermometer between uses to reduce the risk of cross-contamination.”

The inspector also found problems with paperwork. The report said: “I have not been able to review your food safety management system as it was not available at the time of my inspection.”

By law, anywhere serving food must maintain a document called a food safety management system, detailing risks and how they are mitigated.

The inspector continued: “The store manager was not aware of what or where the document was.

“Eventually I found the possible correct sections on your portal, however, all links stated ‘sorry, no results found’.”

The inspector instructed the restaurant to compile the documents and present evidence of them to the council.

According to the Food Standards Agency’s website, of almost 600 Burger Kings in England and Wales, the Tunbridge Wells branch is the only one with a one-star food hygiene rating.

However, a council spokesperson stressed that a revisit has since taken place, and the restaurant has now rectified these problems.

A re-inspection is due to be carried out before the end of December.

In a statement, a Burger King spokesman said the company “takes all issues regarding food safety and hygiene extremely seriously”.

“The environmental health officer revisited the restaurant, and it now has a five-star rating after we conducted a full internal audit and implemented all corrective actions,” they said.