Pizza Hut stores re-open after clean-up

Pizza Hut management are disputing that a Rotorua outlet was shut down by health inspectors.

Rotorua District council regulatory services manager Jim Nicklin said the council closed the Fenton St Pizza Hut, a takeaway outlet, for four days last month after concerns about the outlet's cleanliness.

However, Pizza Hut management say they closed the store voluntarily, and were also working on general maintenance including cracked tiles and painting.

Pizza Hut on Tutanekai St voluntarily closed its doors about the same time for a day after an inspection by council staff, who gave the outlet 24 hours to clean up.

Mr Nicklin declined to go into detail about what council staff found at the two food outlets, but said both needed a "good clean".

"Basic standards weren't being maintained in terms of the council's Food Safety Bylaw."

Pizza Hut management dispute how long the Fenton St store was closed and that it was closed by the council, saying staff voluntarily closed it and re-opened after 24 hours. Mr Nicklin told the Daily Post the Fenton St takeaway outlet was closed following an inspection by an environmental health officer who found the conditions were "unsanitary".

It was closed from April 8 until April 11 when council staff returned to inspect the premises again and found the hygiene standards were still unsatisfactory.

Later, following a third inspection, it was allowed to re-open, Mr Nicklin said.

The Fenton St closure prompted an inspection of the Tutanekai St restaurant the following day.

Part of it needed cleaning and the restaurant was given 24 hours to do so.

An inspection the following day found some progress had been made but not all the work requested had been done. Restaurant management voluntarily closed until they were given the green light by council staff to re-open the next day.

Mr Nicklin said as far as he was aware the two food outlets were the first in Rotorua to be closed this year.

Mr Nicklin said council staff had spoken to Restaurant Brands which owns the Pizza Hut franchises in New Zealand and had expressed concern about the state of the Fenton St Pizza Hut.

Pizza Hut chief operating officer Rod de Vries said the two stores were contacted yesterday and staff confirmed both outlets had temporarily closed, both voluntarily.

He said the Fenton St outlet was closed on April 9 to rectify maintenance work, including the fixing of cracked tiles and the painting of the foyer.

The Tutanekai St premises were closed for one day to tidy up storage areas.

Both stores re-opened within 24 hours, he said.