RESTAURANTS were today warned about hygiene standards after a well-known former curry house boss was banned from running food premises.
Hygiene inspectors were stunned after finding mouse droppings and grime-ridden work surfaces at the Suruchi restaurant on Nicholson Street during an unannounced inspection.
At Edinburgh Sheriff Court yesterday former owner Herman Rodrigues, 47, wa
s served with a ban which means he will need court permission before running a restaurant again. He also faces the prospect of a substantial fine.
The council has released several photographs taken at the time of the inspection, showing clusters of mouse droppings, built up grease, gnawed food packaging and a general lack of hygiene.
The situation was so bad that mouse droppings were even found among customer glasses and washed dishes. Water from a burst pipe had also caused puddles on the floor which hadn't been addressed by staff.
The city's environment leader Councillor Robert Aldridge said today that the case should serve as a warning to other restaurants and pubs that may be considering flouting the industries strict hygiene rules.
"Residents and visitors to Edinburgh are entitled to expect the highest standards of food hygiene when they go out to eat at any restaurant in the city," he said.
"Thanks to the vigilance and hard work shown by our community safety staff in bringing this case to court, we can send out a clear message to all food business operators that they must adhere to food hygiene requirements, or if they don't, to face the consequences."
Fiscal depute Dev Kapadia said the restaurant had "a chequered history". Indi Foods was fined £1800 in 2006 after being charged in 2005 with failing to control cockroaches and rodents at Suruchi in 2005.
During the same visit in 2006 inspectors highlighted the presence of an ice machine that was covered in dirt.
Mr Kapadia said inspectors wrote to Rodrigues on several occasions asking to meet with him about the hygiene situation and every time Rodrigues had responded that he was "not interested".
The restaurant was eventually closed voluntarily by staff after he failed to attend a meeting.
The court was told Indi Foods, of which Rodrigues was the director, has been dissolved and that he was no longer in the restaurant business. The Suruchi premises is now rented out to new owners.
Record checks also show that staff had never received training to deal with hygiene hazards.
Sheriff John Allan handed Rodrigues an indefinite hygiene prohibition – meaning he is banned from running any food businesses without permission from the court.
And he demanded details of Rodrigues' finances after the businessman claimed to earn just £300 per week – despite running a bed-and-breakfast.
Sheriff Allan warned the man not to pretend he couldn't afford to pay up.
He said: "I don't like having to extract information like this.
"I would be surprised if he didn't have some savings in an account.
"I want a full and frank disclosure of his financial circumstances and if that doesn't happen I will fine him in line with what I think is deserving of the case."
