Liverpool Bold Street restaurant Fat Hippo hit with zero-star food hygiene rating

A popular restaurant on Liverpool’s foodie street has been hit with a zero star rating for food hygiene, following a visit from  Liverpool City Council’s food inspectors.

Fat Hippo, on Bold Street, was handed the lowest possible hygiene rating after an inspection in August and has been told ‘urgent improvement’ is necessary - it is one of just ten Liverpool eateries to have a zero rating.

Some details of the inspection on August 2 have been released and show environmental health officials had concerns over the management of food safety, cleanliness and hygienic food handling.

On the menu: The popular restaurant has 4.3 stars on Google and serves up a range of burgers and fast food treats, including multiple vegan friendly options.

Food hygiene report: The full inspectors’ report has not yet been released, but information sent out with the zero star rating showed ‘urgent’ or ‘major’ improvement was necessary in the following areas:

• Hygienic food handling: including preparation, cooking, re-heating, cooling and storage - rated as ‘urgent improvement necessary’
• Cleanliness and condition of facilities and building: including having appropriate layout, ventilation, hand washing facilities and pest control to enable good food hygiene - rated as ‘major improvement necessary’
• Management of food safety: 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 - rated as ‘major improvement necessary’

A spokesperson for Fat Hippo Liverpool said: “We are extremely disappointed to receive a zero rating from our last visit, having previously held a 5 star rating since opening.  We have investigated further into the matters raised and actioned any issues immediately including the removal of a member of staff. We are currently awaiting a revisit, where we are extremely confident we will receive the 5 stars we pride ourselves on.”

LiverpoolWorld has contacted Liverpool City Council for the full inspectors’ report.