Misplaced paperwork has led to a popular cat cafe in Liverpool being downgraded by city health inspectors.
The Food Standards Agency has said major improvement is required at the Cat Cafe on Bold Street following an inspection by Liverpool Council officials last month. The venue, which invites patrons to enjoy tea and coffee while surrounded by dozens of cats that call the building their own, operates six days a week from 10am to 6pm.
During its August inspection, council officials said while cleanliness and food hygiene standards were good at the Bold Street cafe, major improvement was necessary in terms of its management of food safety. This encompasses a “system or checks in place to ensure that food sold or served is safe to eat, evidence that staff know about food safety, and the food safety officer has confidence that standards will be maintained in future”.
READ MORE: Officers wade through water in golf course hunt for weapons that killed Olivia
Sarah Jane Close, managing director of the Cat Cafe brand, which has a second operation in Manchester, said the rating of one out of five was owing to a mix up with documents. She said: “Unfortunately we misplaced our paperwork.
“Environmental health had no problems with the cleanliness of the cafe and we passed everything on site with regards to health and cleanliness. However, the staff member they were talking to did not know where the Safer Food better business manual was kept.
“A manager was not on site when they inspected, and we were full and short staffed, and they spoke to the wrong person.” Ms Close said she was confident that had it not been for this, the business would have secured a more positive rating and has already approached Liverpool Council for a follow-up inspection.
She added: “We had all of our check sheets for food safety and temperatures available for inspection and we passed all elements of the check with what would have been a five star rating, but the copy of the instruction manual was not located by a team member, so we automatically got twenty points for missing paperwork, which put us in the one star rating bracket automatically.” When the cafe, which has been in the city for more than four years, was previously inspected, officers felt the venue was “generally satisfactory”.
The Liverpool cafe was the brand’s second venture after the success of its original Manchester location. On its website, the company said its “aim is to enable people to become more mindful and present in their day-to-day lives.”
READ NEXT
'It's a wrench to leave' says Bold Street gallery owner as doors close for final time
Hundreds of visas awarded to Ukrainians fleeing war in Liverpool
The new map of Liverpool City Centre as major changes confirmed
Heartbreak as 'much loved' primary school headteacher dies after short illness
Woman in her 20s still fighting for life more than a week after nightclub fall
