Wetherspoons are Britain’s CLEANEST place for food: Pub chain beats Aldi, Greggs, Nando’s and McDonald’s by topping government’s hygiene table
- Wetherspoon topped Food Hygiene table to be Britain’s cleanest place for food
- Spoons scored a near-perfect average of 4.98 out of 5 across 775 restaurants
- The pub chain beat Aldi, McDonald’s, Lidl and Nando’s – who made the top five
Wetherspoons are famous for cheap pints, decorative carpets and historic buildings, but they are less well-known for being the cleanest place for food in Britain.
The beloved bargain boozer was given highest average rating of any company in the new food hygiene rating league table.
Across 775 premises, Wetherspoons scored an average of 4.98 out of 5, just beating Aldi who also averaged the same score but over fewer stores.
McDonald’s, Lidl and Nando’s made the top five, all scoring a 4.97, while other big brands made the list including Greggs, 4.94, KFC, 4.87 and Subway, 4.76.
The Food Hygiene Rating Scheme (FHRS) scores outlets from 0–5, with the highest-possible rating of five meaning ‘very good’ hygiene practices and safety systems in place.
Outlets with a rating of four are deemed to have ‘good’ hygiene standards, while three is ‘generally satisfactory’, two needs ‘some improvement’, a rating of one requires ‘major improvement’ and 0 requires ‘urgent improvement’.
Wetherspoon has been rated as the cleanest place for food in Britain, with an average score of 4.98 out of 5
The Food Hygiene Rating Scheme deemed Wetherspoon’s to be a cleaner place to eat than the likes of Miller & Carter and prezzo
Wetherspoon’s personnel and retail audit director, James Ullman, said they take it ‘extremely seriously’ when a pub does not achieve the maximum rating
Wetherspoon’s are famous for affordable beer and food, interesting carpets and historic buildings, but boss Tim Martin makes sure his establishments are incredibly clean
The cleanest places to eat in Britain according to the Food Hygiene Rating Scheme
Scotland also operates their own scheme, the Food Hygiene Information Scheme (FHIS), which has a pass/fail rating – all 65 Scottish Wetherspoon pubs gained a ‘pass’ score.
Environmental health officers assess three areas: food hygiene and safety procedures, structural compliance, confidence in management.
Wetherspoon’s personnel and retail audit director, James Ullman, said: ‘We are proud of our pubs’ hygiene ratings.
‘However, we also take it extremely seriously when a pub does not achieve the maximum rating in either scheme.
‘Where a maximum score is not achieved, we work hard with each pub’s team and local authority to ensure, as quickly as possible, that standards are returned to expected levels.’
To achieve the highest-possible rating of five, our pubs’.
The Blue Boar in Billericay has received five out of five for food hygiene for the last seven years
Many Wetherspoons pubs have been awarded a perfect score of five for years, with some achieving top marks for nine successive annual inspections.
Among the pubs achieving a continuous maximum rating of five for the last seven inspections is The Blue Boar in Billericay.
The High Street pub in Essex has been managed by Theo and Leanne Korakianitis, who joined Wetherspoon in 1997 as a management couple.
Josephine O’Meara, kitchen manager, told Wetherspoon News the restaurant wouldn’t be accepted without a five star rating: ‘It is not just in the kitchen where we place that high priority on hygiene, but across the board. It is a whole team effort throughout the pub.
‘The only way to achieve consistently high standards is by constant reviewing, keeping on the look-out and keeping on top of things by implementing numerous practices.
‘However, I would take it personally if we were to lose our five-star rating.’
The Capitol, in Forest Hill, London, is one of the 32 Wetherspoon pubs that have been put up for sale
Punters have shared their fears that jobs will be at risk and cheap pubs which are a ‘lifeline’ for communities may be lost when Wetherspoon sells 32 of its pubs across England.
The hospitality chain, which operates 800 pubs across the UK, said it has made the ‘commercial decision’ after previously warning it could face losses of up to £30million.
In a statement, company spokesman Eddie Gershon said: ‘On occasion, Wetherspoon does put some of its pubs up for sale. This is a commercial decision.
‘We understand that customers and staff will be disappointed with it. The pubs will continue to operate as Wetherspoon outlets until they are sold.’
Customers were left concerned that if the pubs were taken over by other proprietors, the more affordable option for many friends and families who still want to enjoy socialising in the pub atmosphere despite the cost of living crisis.
A Dukes of Hazzard-themed J D Wetherspoon? Maybe one day… How US TV show inspired name of pub chain
J D Wetherspoon founder Tim Martin qualified as a barrister in 1979 but took over his local North London pub six weeks before being called to the Bar – and established the pub chain.
Martin, 64, named the company after his primary school teacher and then added ‘JD’ because it was the nickname for Boss Hogg (Jefferson Davis Hogg) in the American TV series The Dukes Of Hazzard – of which he is presumably a fan.
He now has around 870 Wetherspoon pubs across the UK and Ireland – but the business will take a big hit from the coronavirus lockdown, which he has vehemently opposed.
Martin played a leading role in campaigning for Brexit and as the City’s most outspoken critic of the EU, he donated £224,000 to the Brexit Party. He also donated £50,000 to Boris Johnson’s Election campaign, when the Tories pledged to keep pubs open in neglected towns and villages outside London.
J D Wetherspoon founder Tim Martin (left) qualified as a barrister in 1979 but took over his local North London pub six weeks before being called to the Bar and establishing the pub chain. He named the company after his primary school teacher – and then added ‘JD’ because it was the nickname for Boss Hogg (Jefferson Davis Hogg ) in the American TV series The Dukes Of Hazzard – of which he is presumably a fan. (Right, the cast of the show, including, top right in white hat, Sorrell Booke as Boss Hogg)
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