A trendy Chinese restaurant has been fined after city inspectors discovered “disgusting” mold and rodent feces in the kitchen.
A Brisbane City Council officer was dispatched to the King Tea Chinese restaurant in Paddington on September 6, 2022, after Queensland Health received a complaint about rats at the restaurant.
The officer found rodent droppings, rodenticide, mold and a host of other food safety violations that led to 10 charges of failing to take all responsible steps to ensure compliance with the Food Law.
The restaurant’s parent company, Livin La Vida Latroba Pty Ltd, and managing director Dane Huitfeldt pleaded guilty to all charges in the Brisbane Magistrates Court last week.
The company was fined $23,000, while Huitfeldt was fined $2,500 for violations that presiding magistrate Julian Noud called “simply disgusting.”
The CEO and parent company of King Tea Chinese (pictured) in Brisbane have pleaded guilty to 10 Food Act breaches
Council prosecutor Amye Fairbairn told the court that while there was an “active risk” of mold contamination, the presence of rodent droppings was the “most serious risk”.
“(Faeces were found) in multiple locations around the facility, including food preparation areas, storage areas and dining areas,” said Ms. Fairbarn, the mail reports.
Defense lawyer Adam Dwyer said his clients were “embarrassed and remorseful” about the state of the kitchen.
The court heard Huitfeldt runs four other restaurants and had an “exemplary” record of never coming to the council’s attention before the September inspection.
Dwyer said his client had been left “in a bad situation due to negligence and failure to do the job he paid someone very well to do.”
Although he and several managers met weekly, the status of the company “was never communicated” to Huitfeldt.
‘Huitfeldt accepts the fact that it is ultimately his responsibility to ensure compliance and ultimately all of this falls within his area of responsibility.
“But it’s clear that the person he hired to run this business had let things slide.”
A Brisbane City Council officer found rodent droppings and rodenticide (pictured) at the restaurant after Queensland Health received a complaint about rats.
The officer also found other food safety violations, including mold and other unidentified matter on warehouse shelves (pictured).
Magistrate Noud said all citizens deserve to enjoy eating in a restaurant while being “protected against illness.”
He noted that they have “very good prospects for rehabilitation” and used the incident to change the way the business is operated.
“The defendant understands the serious consequences of his crime and has taken important steps to ensure that, for him at least, this does not happen again in the future,” Magistrate Noud said.
No convictions were recorded for any of the accused.
