The Real China Hope For A Fresh Start With New Hygiene Rating

As readers to Wrexham.com’s Forums will know the Real China have improved their food hygiene rating following a damaging score earlier this year.

The restaurant has now been given a food hygiene rating of 4, which is regarded as ‘good’ according to the Food Standard Agency. The restaurant which opened on Eagles Meadow in April of this year, received a zero hygiene rating following a routine inspection on April 30th.

During an inspection at the restaurant, an Environmental Health Officer found fault with the walk in freezer, where fluctuating temperatures had allowed food to reach temperatures higher than recommended. A leak with the electronic boiler added to problems and led to difficulties with food preparation, and the overall service that could be provided.

The low hygiene rating first came to our attention after someone posted on the forums after we reviewed the then brand new restaurant, the thread soon generated over 70 comments. You can read the original forum thread here.

Management at the Real China described the period as a testing time for all those involved, and one they did not expect especially given the equipment was brand new.

An apology was quickly issued by the Manager Michael Yang on our forums, who wrote: “On the behalf of The Real China, Wrexham, we apologise for our recent food hygiene rating, from EHO and to our loyal customers that might have effected by this rating. The reasons of our poor rating were mainly due to the faulty mechanical issues in the kitchen.”

He went on to say “The rumors gave us a lesson that keeping silent is not fair for our customers who have shown us such great support. Therefore, in order to give public an explanation, we make this statement here to communicate that our kitchen is working with a high food safety standard and we are open to all comments and suggestions from our customers and public. During this difficult time we always tried to maintain our customers satisfaction by giving a good dinning experience and good value for money.” You can read the comments and the full statement on our forum thread here.

Throughout England, Wales and Northern Ireland, any business operating in the catering industry is given a ‘hygiene score / rating’ when it has an inspection from the relevant local authority. This hygiene rating shows how closely the business is meeting the standard requirements of food hygiene law.

The inspections examine how hygienically food is handled / prepared, the condition and cleanliness of the buildings, the standard of facilities and how the business manages and records what it does to ensure the food is safe to eat.

At the end of the inspection, the business is given one of the six ratings. The top rating of ‘5’ means that the business was found to have ‘very good’ hygiene standards. The food safety officer will explain to the person who owns or manages the business what improvements are needed and how they can achieve the top rating of ‘5’. The local authority will check that these improvements are made.

Following the first rating issued to The Real China immediate improvements were made, but this was twinned with further frustration as described by Director Mr. Xu: “We wanted to get the Environmental Health Officer back to review the work we had put in and recommend a higher hygiene rating, but we were told there was a minimum of three months before the restaurant could be reclassified.”

In an attempt to keep the business open, they were helped out by a nearby neighbouring restaurant, who allowed access to their freezers. Whilst taking steps to ensure the short-term safety of the food they would serve, the management team drew in help from ‘Food Alert’ food safety consultants for additional assistance.

Eventually the restaurant was revisited ‘randomly’ in August, and has now achieved a rating of 4.

Management at The Real China, including Michael Yang, who posted on our forums to inform customers of the challenges they had faced in the early days, are now looking forward and are optimistic about the colder months ahead. “We have new furniture arriving, have made some changes based on feedback we have received from customers, and though this has been a challenging time we’re hoping the community in Wrexham will support us.”

As new advertisers on Wrexham.com The Real China would like to invite Wrexhamites to give them a try or come back if you’ve already been. They are giving Wrexham.com readers the following exclusive offer:

All you need to do is click the link below to download the voucher, print it off, and bring it with you on your next visit…