Karen’s Diner, the restaurant where staff are deliberately rude to customers, has been hit with a zero food hygiene rating from inspectors.
The popular Australian chain – which has opened UK sites in Manchester, Birmingham, and Sheffield, amongst others – might have built its reputation on shoddy hospitality but we’re not sure this is what they were aiming for.
Its latest diner was recently opened in Newport, South Wales, with staff welcoming a local hygiene inspector on 22 February as queues built up outside.
Following the visit, last week inspectors issued the diner with a zero rating alongside a list of ways it must improve.
Image: The Manc Eats
Image: The Manc Eats
Food standards fall into three categories: the hygienic handling of food, the cleanliness and condition of the facilities and building, and the system or checks in place to ensure that food sold or served is safe to eat.
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Food venues are then given an overall star rating of zero to five, with zero meaning urgent improvement is needed and five meaning hygiene standards fully comply with the law.
Since receiving its zero hygiene rating in Newport the diner has changed head chefs and, according to Paul Levin, who oversees Karen’s Diner’s operations in Europe, the kitchen is “now how a kitchen should be.”
However, according to the Food Standards Agency website, Newport is not the only Karen’s Diner with a poor hygiene rating. The Sheffield branch currently has a two, meaning improvement is required, and the Birmingham diner has a score of one, meaning major improvement is needed.
A Newport council spokesperson said: “A food hygiene inspection was carried out at Karen’s Diner in Friars Walk within a week of opening to the public.
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Image: The Manc Eats
Image: The Manc Eats
“Appropriate action was taken and the food hygiene rating will be published at the end of the month.”
A spokesman for Karen’s Diner in Newport said: “The visit took place five days after the official opening, whereby the restaurant had experienced delays with the gas installation.
“Karen’s Diner remains committed in ensuring the utmost care and attention is provided when it comes to food and hygiene standards, and following advice on necessary improvements by Newport City Council, has requested a revisit for the diner to be rescored to its deserved hygiene level.
“Although an initial score rating of zero has been provided, Karen’s Diner would like to reassure its customers that the rectifications by Newport City Council were acted upon immediately, and the diner continues to celebrate positive comments and reviews by their guests.”
Featured image – The Sheff
Eats
Pizza Pilgrims is finally coming to Manchester with a bold new Neapolitan pizzeria
One of the UK’s fastest-growing pizza restaurant groups (nope, not Rudy’s) is finally set to touch down in Manchester.
Signs have appeared on Deansgate for the city’s first Pizza Pilgrims site, taking over the now-closed tapas restaurant La Vina.
Pizza Pilgrims has been operating since 2011, and now has 25 restaurants right across the UK – but hasn’t made it to Manchester until now.
Their restaurants are famed for their colourful and maximalist interiors, with Italian-inspired decor dripping off every surface.
Expect checkered tablecloths, giant lemons hanging from the ceiling, retro posters, colourful shutters and even washing lines hung with Italian football shirts.
At their site in Leeds, which opened in 2023, there’s even a giant pink flamingo pedalo that’s been turned into a self-serve gelato stand for customers to create their own sweet treats.
On the menus, Pizza Pilgrims is all about double-fermented dough bases, cooked at 500 ̊C to give a light, chewy and charred crust, just like in Naples.
Highlights from their menus include an eight-cheese pizza, a carbonara-inspired pizza, and the ‘You’ve Got Maiale’, topped with nduja, Italian sausage, pepperoni, and a balsamic glaze.
They also serve irresistible fried cacio e pepe balls, stuffed with spaghetti, pecorino cheese and black pepper.
Pizza Pilgrims will open on Deansgate in Manchester later this month – you can find out more and sign up for freebies when it launches HERE.
Featured image: The Manc Group
Eats
Hawksmoor issues statement after ‘kicking out’ Tommy Robinson from one of its restaurants
Hawksmoor has issued a statement after a viral video captured far-right activist Tommy Robinson being asked to leave one of its restaurants.
In the video, staff at the acclaimed British steak house told Robinson – real name Stephen Yaxley-Lennon – that he would have to go because members of staff feel uncomfortable serving you’.
The supervisor then politely told the party not to worry about the drinks and that they had been paid for, also handing over a business card for Hawksmoor CEO Will Beckett in case they wanted to discuss the matter further.
Robinson was dining in one of the group’s London restaurants with former prominent EDL member Guramit Singh Kalirai who challenged the staff and asked: “Is it because of the colour of my skin?”
The supervisor responded: “No, no, no. We have a duty of care to our members of staff. We like to look after our people, as I’m sure you can understand.”
After the video went viral on X, Hawksmoor went on to share a statement in response, saying that guests and staff ‘felt uncomfortable and complained’.
The statement, signed by CEO Will Beckett, added that the Hawksmoor team has faced ‘a huge amount’ of ‘quite concerning’ fallout from the Tommy Robinson incident.
He added that ‘this was not about politics or beliefs’.
Hawksmoor’s statement reads: “Our focus is always to give the best restaurant experience to the most people possible.
“On Thursday, a public figure was asked to leave one of our restaurants because guests and staff felt uncomfortable and had complained. The party left peacefully and politely on request.
“This was not about politics or beliefs. Hawksmoor is not a political organisation; we’re a group of restaurants. We want to welcome as many people as possible, regardless of background or views, to our teams or as our guests.
“We’re not trying to engage in a public debate. The team has had to deal with a huge amount of fallout from this, some of which is quite concerning. We would like to get back to focussing on looking after those people, and our guests. Thank you to them, and the many of you who have been so supportive.”
Georgina Pellant -
15th March 2023 
