The poll of 1,000 consumers, carried out by Checkit.net, also showed that three quarters (75%) of those asked would not visit a food business – a pub, restaurant, coffee shop, etc… – that had been implicated in a food hygiene incident.
Almost two thirds (66%) of those asked also rated unclean or dirty premises as the top reasons for not returning, while just 16% and 32% respectively said poor service or rude and unhelpful staff would put them off.
‘Michelin-starred restaurant’
Checkit.net marketing director Dee Roche said: “It doesn’t matter if you are a Michelin-starred restaurant or a local takeaway – consumers will not tolerate poor food hygiene and will vote with their feet if you have been implicated in a food hygiene incident.
“This demonstrates the enormous impact that poor food safety has on a business’s survival – how could you cope with 61% of your customers boycotting your premises?”
Food hygiene standards were among the most important factors for whether a customer would dine at your venue or not, said Checkit.net managing director David Davies.
It was therefore essential operators ensured they could do everything possible to comply with regulatory guidelines. “The consequences could be dire,” he added.
The pub trade
In the pub trade, for instance, a chef and a manager have recently been jailed for falsifying safety records and a pub chain received a fine of £1.5 million when a woman died from food poisoning after eating a Christmas dinner.
Meanwhile, safety advisor to the British Hospitality Association Dr Lisa Ackerley outlined five common food safety and hygiene slip-ups made in pub kitchens.
She told the Publican’s Morning Advertiser some pubs were poor at putting in place systems to avoid cross-contamination, ensuring staff washed their hands and even knowing what’s in the food they served.