Sep 23, 2013, 8:15 am
Last edit by: 710 77345
The London Borough of Hillingdon has inspected the food preparation areas of the Concorde Room and Galleries First Lounge at Heathrow Terminal 5 (run by BaxterStorey on behalf of British Airways) and has indicated under the Food Hygiene Rating Scheme that Food Hygiene and Safety is POOR:
This is an appalling score, putting the lounge in the bottom 10% of all food establishments in England (including burger vans and kebab shops!).
The good news is that other lounges at Heathrow have scored 5 out of 5, including British Airways' Terminal 3 lounge and an unnamed T5 Galleries (albeit both assessed prior to handover to BaxterStorey), Aer Lingus, Cathay Pacific, American Airlines, Virgin Atlantic and many others.
Other establishments in Terminal 5 have received the following scores:
Amigos (North & South) - 5 out of 5 (21 February 2013)
Caffe Nero - 2 out of 5 (18 May 2012)
Carluccio's - 5 out of 5 (21 November 2011)
Caviar House - 5 out of 5 (31 May 2013)
Crown Rivers Wetherspoon Pub - 5 out of 5 (21 May 2010)
Five Tuns Pub - 5 out of 5 (18 May 2012)
Giraffe - 5 out of 5 (07 February 2013)
Gordon Ramsay Plane Food - 2 out of 5 (31 May 2013)
itsu - 4 out of 5 (16 November 2011)
Marks and Spencer - 5 out of 5 (08 May 2010)
Pret a Manger - 4 out of 5 (24 January 2013)
V Bar - 5 out of 5 (07 February 2013)
Up to date discussion on this topic is contained in this thread
This is an appalling score, putting the lounge in the bottom 10% of all food establishments in England (including burger vans and kebab shops!).
The good news is that other lounges at Heathrow have scored 5 out of 5, including British Airways' Terminal 3 lounge and an unnamed T5 Galleries (albeit both assessed prior to handover to BaxterStorey), Aer Lingus, Cathay Pacific, American Airlines, Virgin Atlantic and many others.
Other establishments in Terminal 5 have received the following scores:
Amigos (North & South) - 5 out of 5 (21 February 2013)
Caffe Nero - 2 out of 5 (18 May 2012)
Carluccio's - 5 out of 5 (21 November 2011)
Caviar House - 5 out of 5 (31 May 2013)
Crown Rivers Wetherspoon Pub - 5 out of 5 (21 May 2010)
Five Tuns Pub - 5 out of 5 (18 May 2012)
Giraffe - 5 out of 5 (07 February 2013)
Gordon Ramsay Plane Food - 2 out of 5 (31 May 2013)
itsu - 4 out of 5 (16 November 2011)
Marks and Spencer - 5 out of 5 (08 May 2010)
Pret a Manger - 4 out of 5 (24 January 2013)
V Bar - 5 out of 5 (07 February 2013)
Up to date discussion on this topic is contained in this thread
BaxterStorey and T5 lounges: "Improvement necessary" food hygiene rating
Sep 21, 2013, 3:55 pm
#76
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: London
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Bit of hysteria going on here I would say...there has been no mass outbreak of food poisoning and nobody has died.
For all you know the rating might have nothing at all to do with the food but rather a combination of other factors. Yes 2 isn't good and it should be 5 and I expect BA management will have kicked a few BS backsides over this as they are mainly to blame.
For all you know the rating might have nothing at all to do with the food but rather a combination of other factors. Yes 2 isn't good and it should be 5 and I expect BA management will have kicked a few BS backsides over this as they are mainly to blame.
Would anyone here normally eat in a restaurant/cafe with a score of 2?
Sep 21, 2013, 3:56 pm
#77
Join Date: Oct 2011
Programs: BA soon to be Silver
Posts: 302
Bit of hysteria going on here I would say...there has been no mass outbreak of food poisoning and nobody has died.
For all you know the rating might have nothing at all to do with the food but rather a combination of other factors. Yes 2 isn't good and it should be 5 and I expect BA management will have kicked a few BS backsides over this as they are mainly to blame.
For all you know the rating might have nothing at all to do with the food but rather a combination of other factors. Yes 2 isn't good and it should be 5 and I expect BA management will have kicked a few BS backsides over this as they are mainly to blame.
To be honest, much is about expectation, and I have always been fairly happy with my bit of bacon and glass of pink Bolly in the GF lounge - never been in the CCR. The food is a bit more basic than I would perhaps expect from the lounge if I was entering it for the first time, but I don't find it objectionable, and I certainly don't expect Michelin star quality.
However, in a terminal which cost so much, with our national carrier, and their highest level of service, I don't think failing on basic food safety is acceptable. BaxterStorey CAN provide level 5 service - witness other contracts they have - and should do the same for BA. It is a BA failing if they are not getting this from their contractor.....either they are not managing the contractor correctly, or they are forcing them to cut corners. Either way, the responsibility for quality service provision to their customers falls to BA.
The measure of a company is not the problems they have but how they deal with them. If BA deal with this promptly and positively, it will cement my loyalty to them and I suspect the same is true for most on this board.
Sep 21, 2013, 4:03 pm
#78
Join Date: Jul 2012
Posts: 2,235
As others have already pointed out, there are other channels that are better suited.
I would not assume that this issue is being ignored by BA and nothing is going on at the time being.
Sep 21, 2013, 4:08 pm
#79
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Dorset
Programs: BAEC Blue, VS Red, IHG Platinum
Posts: 597
My long anticipated bacon roll in T5GC at 7am is going to taste that little bit worse now.
This needs a statement of intent to improve at the very least.
Ed
This needs a statement of intent to improve at the very least.
Ed
Sep 21, 2013, 4:15 pm
#80
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: London, England
Posts: 366
I'd like to think that this gives BA a contractual reason to sack them.
It seems to me that BA have been sold a dud. Probably a typical case of BaxterStorey promising more than they can profitably deliver. As a few people have mentioned, I would think twice about even eating in a 3-star rated place, so this is very off-putting.
It seems to me that BA have been sold a dud. Probably a typical case of BaxterStorey promising more than they can profitably deliver. As a few people have mentioned, I would think twice about even eating in a 3-star rated place, so this is very off-putting.
Sep 21, 2013, 4:15 pm
#81
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: New York
Programs: BA, LH, VS, Hyatt, SPG
Posts: 3,813
Bit of hysteria going on here I would say...there has been no mass outbreak of food poisoning and nobody has died.
For all you know the rating might have nothing at all to do with the food but rather a combination of other factors. Yes 2 isn't good and it should be 5 and I expect BA management will have kicked a few BS backsides over this as they are mainly to blame.
For all you know the rating might have nothing at all to do with the food but rather a combination of other factors. Yes 2 isn't good and it should be 5 and I expect BA management will have kicked a few BS backsides over this as they are mainly to blame.
As for media interest I suspect the Gordon Ramsay score has much more legs to t because of his profile and previous difficulties elsewhere in his restaurant empire.
Sep 21, 2013, 4:18 pm
#82
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: BOD
Programs: BA Silver, AF Gold
Posts: 609
Media coverage is likely to cause damage, and someone will need to pay the price of recovery at the end. This could come with a boomerang effect.
As others have already pointed out, there are other channels that are better suited.
I would not assume that this issue is being ignored by BA and nothing is going on at the time being.
As others have already pointed out, there are other channels that are better suited.
I would not assume that this issue is being ignored by BA and nothing is going on at the time being.
Sep 21, 2013, 4:19 pm
#83
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: London & Surrey
Programs: BA Blue, Virgin Flying Club, Hertz #1 Gold, Avis Preferred, National Emerald, Dr. Oetker Speciale
Posts: 455
Media coverage is likely to cause damage, and someone will need to pay the price of recovery at the end. This could come with a boomerang effect.
As others have already pointed out, there are other channels that are better suited.
I would not assume that this issue is being ignored by BA and nothing is going on at the time being.
As others have already pointed out, there are other channels that are better suited.
I would not assume that this issue is being ignored by BA and nothing is going on at the time being.
Enhancement had to meet it's tipping point eventually, this may be the first glimpse but brushing it under the carpet is the mother of all enhancement.
BA & BS have got caught, fair and square, now they need to be seen to sort it out with more than just PR spin, there are kebab shops in provincial towns getting better scores than this.
Sep 21, 2013, 4:23 pm
#85
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: London & Surrey
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'The World's Favourite Hairline'
Sep 21, 2013, 4:23 pm
#86
Join Date: Dec 2012
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Sep 21, 2013, 4:26 pm
#87
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: LCY is always preferred
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Posts: 1,026
My local one gets a 5 for starters. One local eaterie to my work, which has been shot to pieces in the local press, gets a 2, and that was closed due to half a ton of rotten meat in the cellar....
Sep 21, 2013, 4:27 pm
#88
Join Date: Aug 2002
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Sep 21, 2013, 4:27 pm
#89
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Argentina
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As for Plane Food.....that's a real shocker.
Sep 21, 2013, 4:32 pm
#90
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: London & Surrey
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Posts: 455
The PR team are preparing a statement.
