Biryani Lounge Reopens After Rat Infestation

The manager of an Indian restaurant in Reading is ‘relieved and grateful’ to reopen and welcome customers after being forced to close temporarily.

The Biryani Lounge on Wokingham Road in East Reading has reopened after a temporary closure following a council inspection that found evidence of a rat infestation.

The restaurant was forced to close on Friday 9 January after Reading Borough Council hygiene officers served a Hygiene Emergency Prohibition Notice (HEPN). A HEPN must then be confirmed at a Magistrates Court hearing with a Hygiene Emergency Prohibition Order (HEPO) to extend a closure if the public health risk remains.

Management, staff and council officers then worked together and a reinspection on Thursday 15 January found the problems had been dealt with, allowing the venue to reopen.

Bhanuchandar Pathakamuri, one of four friends who opened the restaurant, said: “The council visited our premises and, after a thorough inspection, issued a satisfactory notice allowing us to reopen The Biryani Lounge.

“This followed significant effort from our entire team, including comprehensive sanitisation and deep cleaning of the restaurant.

“It has been a challenging period for us, but we are relieved and grateful to be able to welcome our customers back.”

A council spokesperson confirmed the follow-up inspection and said: “The Food and Safety team served a certificate of satisfaction at the premises yesterday, following a deep clean being undertaken and the rat infestation dealt with. They were satisfied that the health risk condition longer exists, so Magistrates will no longer be issuing the HEPO.”

A procedural hearing was held at Reading Magistrates' Court on Friday 16 January endorsing the council’s initial decision to issue the HEPN, but a formal HEPO was not issued at that hearing.

The Biryani Lounge opened in 2022, specialising in biryani, mutton roast and a range of appetisers. During HEPN/HEPO proceedings, councils must show the closure was valid and magistrates can extend it until officers are satisfied the imminent risk to health has been removed. Defendants can challenge the notice, and if a court finds the notice was not justified the council may have to compensate the business for losses caused by the closure.

James Aldridge, Local Democracy Reporter