1 week Ago
ONE of York’s most popular café bars has received a one-star rating for food hygiene, meaning ‘major improvement necessary'. However, the Habit in Goodramgate says it has carried out the recommendations of the health inspectors and has contacted them about a return visit. The independent venue, famous for its rooftop balcony with views of the Minster, was inspected on December 17.
For hygienic food handling, The Habit was rated as ‘improvement necessary,’ as it was for the cleanliness of the facilities and the building. But for management of food safety, council inspectors said it was a matter of ‘major improvement necessary'. The Press approached City of York Council for a copy of the Inspectors' Report, making a request under the Freedom of Information Act.
However, the council withheld this, saying this was to prevent any possible prejudice to any future action it may take against The Habit. The Habit’s co-founder Vicky Lu Evans told the Press: “I would like to highlight that the visit occurred during an extremely busy Christmas lunchtime, and the kitchen at The Habit is exceptionally small. “The presence of the officer hindered the normal operations and made it difficult for the chef to perform their usual duties.
“We have since implemented the recommendations outlined in the report.” Vicky added this week that the café bar is scheduling a visit from the council. The Habit was opened by Vicky and Simon Evans in 2004 in a former furniture and gift store.
Housed in a 16th century building, it has been reported in The Press as “one of the coolest hangouts in York". The venue became noted for food, drinks and music and is a regular TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence winner. The reviews website awards The Habit 4.
3 stars out of five, based on 303 reviews, ranking it 29th out of 191 for Quick Bites in York. Google awards The Habit 4.5 stars out of five, based on 736 reviews.
The Press will report on the re-inspection..
