While we support the publics’ right to be informed, and the Weekend Post’s right to name and shame, as one of the establishments, who to our horror made your publications top ten list of worst restaurant offenders, we strongly dispute the claims made against us and request the opportunity to set the record straight.
Firstly, the reports from health officials in the Weekend Post’s possession were in our case dated April 2012. We were then visited by health officials, who compiled a list of “violations” none of which comprised of scary and/or nauseating scenarios of rotten cockroach infested kitchen or food areas. We were instructed only to repair our cracked (clean) kitchen floor, at the same time to disinfect the entire kitchen area. All equipment was removed for the floor relaying – a normal procedure. To repair would not have necessitated closing the restaurant, but we chose to completely redo the floor which required us to close our restaurant for almost a week – hardly affordable in any business.
There were also some, in our view, very minor infringements, such as no nail brush for kitchen staff at their hand washing basin, a fridge, we concede needing a clean, like the one in most kitchens in any family home, and the one issue we disputed, to remove the sawdust from the restaurant floor (our restaurant floor has been covered by sawdust for over 40 years – it has never been a problem to any previous PE City health department personnel). There are restaurants all around the world that use the theme of sawdust on the floor. All of these issues raised, bar the last has been rectified and has since passed further recent inspection, so it is no small wonder that we take the strongest exception to being placed where we are.
The Phoenix Hotel has been in my family for 47 years – I unashamedly invite any guest to check our kitchen while eating at my establishment.
Lastly we also bemoan the manner of the report given by your reporter who visited our establishment shortly before your expose. In their writing they say “the kitchen was relatively clean” What does that mean? It is either clean or dirty, say it as such. Is one relatively pregnant?
We hope that this reply goes some way to reassuring our customers and the public that we take cleanliness as seriously as they do.
We are acutely aware of the damage poorly researched; sensational seeking negative journalism reports can produce.
Please have your Weekend Post reporter re-check the facts!
Regards
W.N. Ofsowitz
Owner Phoenix Hotel
