Shameful Brits Out To Ruin Chinese Businesses

Three recent press stories concerning malicious attempts at ruining Chinese catering businesses. 

Cat Meat Rumour Ruins Restaurant Business 

Newspaper Source (Full Article): Salisbury Journal

Xu Qiau Wu and Cai Ming have run The Dragon Chinese restaurant in Fisherton Street, Salisbury, for the past 11 years, employing six staff, the couple have been left devastated and unsure of the future after a rumour that a dead cat was found in their freezer. 

Mrs Wu said: “My son heard this first at school, we have no idea where it came from. The past few years have been hard and we were struggling already but surviving, then this started happening and takings dropped by a third. It is completely untrue.”

Wiltshire Council’s Environmental Health Officers carried out a full inspection of the premises in March, looking into supply chains, traceability, storage and hygiene practices. Food safety standards and management was found to be good and all meat is purchased from reputable suppliers. The business was awarded three stars under the council’s Food Hygiene Star Rating Scheme.

A spokesman for the council said: “The allegation was completely unfounded.” 

Mrs Wu said: “People come in and make cat noises at us which may be funny to them but to us it’s our business and it’s not just about our family but also the people we employ.”

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Chav Scam's Takeaway Cockroach Story - (6/5/2011)

Newspaper Source (Full Article): Coventry Telegraph

Sophie Russell, 18-year-old mum-to-be, discovered a dead oriental cockroach lurking at the bottom of the bag of prawn crackers.

Sophie, who is four months pregnant, is a beauty therapy student at Henley College, said...

"Even if I’m drunk and desperate, I wouldn’t go near a takeaway"

Suzanne, Sophie and Lauren Russell, 13, ordered the meal from the Golden Parlour takeaway in Far Gosford Street, Coventry on Sunday.

They finished off the meal but only had a few prawn crackers, so the following day Sophie, went back for more, that’s when she made her gruesome discovery. Restaurant manager Jimmy Fan  immediately gave them a full refund.

Mr Fan said: "My restaurant is very clean. We’ve been open for four years and I’ve never had a complaint, cleanliness is my top priority and my full time job."

Suzanne has alerted the city council’s food safety team and is planning to drop the cockroach into their offices this week.

Coventry Telegraph - Follow Up Report - (18/5/2011)

Newspaper Source (Full Article): Coventry Telegraph

"Teams from the council’s environmental health department have conducted an extensive search of the restaurant and have discovered no evidence of the pests."


Officers praised the Golden Parlour’s “clean, tidy and orderly kitchen”.

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On the Brink of Ruin - (6/6/2011)

Newspaper Source (Full Article): Pontefract & Castleford Express

Wai Wing Lee, manager of Eastern Court Cantonese Restaurant in Glass Houghton, claims hundreds of diners have been driven away by false reports that a dentist recovered a chip  between a diner’s teeth when he complained of toothache after eating at the Oriental buffet.

Mr Lee revealed the business had made a loss for the last three weeks and had lost two-thirds of its trade – as the rumours continue to spread on social networking websites Facebook and Twitter.

“I’ve heard from people from as far away as Barnsley and Doncaster who’ve heard the rumour.  I’ve not spoken to a single person who hasn’t heard it. It’s destroying our business. We’ve had to get money from elsewhere just to keep our business afloat."
  
Mr Lee has contacted the Wakefield council’s environmental health department. A council spokesman confirmed there were no current investigations in relation to food hygiene matters at the restaurant.

He said: “We have had no complaints related to the restaurant and have no evidence to support what appear to be malicious rumours.

“The premises has a three-star rating under the Scores on the Doors scheme and continues to be subject to the standard routine food hygiene inspections required by the Food Standards Agency."