Cardiff restaurant owner fined £5,000 for not displaying food hygiene rating

The owner of a restaurant in Cardiff has been fined £5,000 for failing to display his two-star food hygiene rating.

Darren Beddis, owner of Brook Bistro on Merthyr Road in Whitchurch, pleaded guilty to six counts of failing to display the sticker without reasonable excuse when he appeared in Cardiff Magistrates Court on April 27.

Mr Beddis was given the sticker following an unannounced inspection by the Food Standards Agency in October 2017.

However, the owner claims that it was sent to the wrong address so he did not receive it and could not appeal on time.

Restaurant owners are legally obliged to display ratings near the entrance where they can be easily read before entering.

Cardiff Council said Mr Beddis applied for a re-grading, but this was refused because he did not have his current rating on display.

The owner said he did not display the sticker because he did not want to damage the reputation of the restaurant.

He said: "Everything in the kitchen is less than two-years old.

"We had only recently opened and I didn't want customers to think there were problems with the hygiene standards.

"We were given the score due to issues with the paperwork, which I sorted out straight away."

Mr Beddis told the officer that the rating was being displayed, but on inspection, the officer found it had been placed in the corner of the window which was hidden by tables and chairs.

The owner claims the officer told him that it was acceptable for the sticker to be placed there.

However, Mr Beddis was later told that this was unsatisfactory because it was not easily noticeable.

Mr Beddis later agreed to place the rating in the correct position but following a further complaint, it was found to be blocked and not visible.

Councillor Michael Michael, cabinet member for shared regulatory services, said: “This case shows a blatant disregard for the legislation that is in place and this isn’t the first time that the council has had to prosecute Darren Beddis, as he has previous convictions under licensing legislation for a different business that he owned in the city.”

A spokesman for Cardiff council, added: “The claims that have been made by Mr Beddis don’t bare any truth in reality.

“Legislation is in place for a reason, those that breach the law will be prosecuted.

“We would suggest to Mr Beddis that he abides by all relevant legislation that applies to his business to avoid any further action in court.”