Award-winning Tipperary restaurant shut down after closure order served

A popular Cahir café and restaurant had to shut its doors after it was issued a closure order by the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI)

The closure order was issued in July following food safety concerns which breached EU regulations.

Riverhouse Café, located on Castle Street opposite the castle itself, was one of twelve locations nationwide issued closure orders by the FSAI in July, with ten of these locations located in Dublin and one in Roscommon.

The Riverhouse, an award-winning food destination, specialised in homemade Irish foods, opens seven days a week.

The restaurant specialises in breakfast, carvery, lunch and pastas, and boasted a unique view of Cahir castle and the River Suir.

Among the reasons for the closure order issued to the Riverhouse Café were a "persistent and recurring failure to comply with food legislation".

The report states - "Evidence of non-compliance: A large joint of ham cooked on the 14th of July 2024, and stored in the cold room was at a potentially unsafe temperature of 21.4oC.

"At the time of inspection lasagna that was stored in the upstairs deli fridge, that was cooked and cooled on the 14th of July 2024 was found to be at a potentially unsafe temperature of 12.7C. Ready-to-eat cheese cake was being stored at a potentially unsafe temperature of 17.6C, in the upstairs dessert fridge.

"Cous Cous was being stored at a potentially unsafe temperature of 21C in the deli display fridge.

"The air temperature of this unit was maintained at 12.2C. This fridge was identified by staff to not be maintaining the cold chain below 5oC, however, staff placed food into this unit on the day of the inspection.

"Cooked sausage rolls stored in the deli counter 2 were at a potentially unsafe temperature of 7.8C. Cooked quiches stored in the deli counter deli counter 2 were at a potentially unsafe temperature of 6.5C.

"Thawing of foods had not been not carried out safely, food handlers confirmed that frozen foods were defrosted at ambient temperature overnight, as a result:

-Cooked chicken was at a potentially unsafe temperature of 6.8C, stored in the cold room.
-Sausage rolls were at a potentially unsafe temperature of 8.0C stored in the cold room.

"The premises was not maintained in a clean condition. The lack of adequate, regular, and thorough cleaning was evident in all parts of the food business, particularly in the food cooking and food storage areas.

"This lack of adequate cleaning was also identified during previous inspections. There is a continuous failure to maintain consistent cleaning standards at this premises, contrary to the above legislation."

According the the FSAI, some of the reasons for the twelve closure orders in July across Ireland included live cockroaches in equipment and on traps in the kitchen area, multiple holes and gaps in the walls along with rodent droppings, a rodent carcass in a snap trap and expired food.

Other reasons for closure orders included inadequate pest control measures, inadequate cleaning standards and unsafe food storage. 

Dr Pamela Byrne, Chief Executive, FSAI, emphasised that compliance with food safety and hygiene regulations should be of the highest priority for all food businesses.

"Filthy premises, unsafe food storage and inadequate pest control measures are once again the primary reasons for this month’s Enforcement Orders," Dr Byrne said.

"These violations demonstrate a total disregard for food safety requirements and highlight the ongoing failure of some food businesses to maintain basic, consistent cleaning practices, and this failure poses a significant risk to public health.

"Food businesses have a legal responsibility to ensure the safety of the food they produce, distribute or sell by maintaining proper storage temperatures, ensuring staff are properly trained, having stringent hygiene practices and ensuring their food businesses are fully pest proofed. Achieving a strong food safety culture requires continuous and consistent training for all team members”.