Sprinkles Gelato receives five-star hygiene rating after major changes prompted by live cockroach served to customer

Sprinkles Gelato, in Commercial Road, suffered a damning hygiene report that was made public just before the start of the pandemic, with inspectors uncovering a ‘significant cockroach activity present in areas where food was being prepared, handled and stored’.

The store’s parent company, Sprinkles Gelato Franchise Ltd, based in Southampton, was fined £5,000 for the health breaches – and had to pay £100 compensation to one diner who was served a live cockroach.

A series of hygiene reporters saw the branch drop to a one-star hygiene rating in August last year – meaning the ice cream parlour was stricken from the most popular food delivery apps, just as it looked to bounce back from the pandemic.

But now the ice cream parlour has put the rocky road behind it and can publish a five-star food hygiene rating – the highest possible mark - following an inspector’s visit in November.

Monika Kraszewska, the assistant manager of the store, said that the staff were proud to have turned around the fortunes of the business.

The 28-year-old, who has worked in the branch for more than three years, said: ‘It was really hard work for us, especially for me and the other manager. We said, ‘we’re going to make it work’ – and we have.

‘We would take in about 60 per cent of business in store and 40 per cent with deliveries – so we lost nearly half our business.

‘We try always to get feedback from customers and I would say it’s much better now. We have a lot of regular customers who have come back. They haven’t been put off.’

A series of major changes followed the fines, including a change in management which saw Monika promoted and a new manager brought in, increased staff training, and further support from the company’s head office, according to a spokeswoman from the Sprinkles head office.

Spokeswoman for the company said: ‘It’s been a really tough couple of years.

‘We have put the staff and managers through more training courses to get everyone better educated moving forward.

‘We are now more hands-on with the sites, and it’s working better.’

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

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