Viva venue in Blackpool awarded 5 star food hygiene rating following latest inspection

Viva was delighted to get a maximum rating of five for its first floor cabaret venue from local authority environmental health officers – but a one-star store for its ground floor diner left a sour taste.

Now, a revisit several months on has seen the diner score five, too, and management have paid tribute to the team effort which brought the turnaround.

Managing director Martin Heywood said: “After two truly difficult years with the pandemic, and the various side issues with staffing and supply, we were really looking forward to regrouping after the season in 2021 and being able to focus on what we wanted to improve.

"Our environmental health officer visit in December was unfortunate in its timing, but was truly a wake up call.

“It's testament to the partnerships we have with Campbell and Rowley and Ways to Wow as well as the reinvestment we’ve made in the premises after signing a new 15 year lease.

"We really believe in Blackpool as a destination and as a great place to live and work. We’re committed to raising our own standards post pandemic through partnerships, training and investment.

“We have also focused on company culture and wellbeing and are focusing investment on our working environment - we believe this will elevate our customer experience as, if our team are happy in their workplace, that will transfer to the customer experience.

“Now having two five-star hygiene rated venues is something our entire team can be proud of, and we can look forward to a very bright future on the heart of Blackpool's promenade.”

Operations manager Paul Stevens added: “The whole team at the Viva Vegas Diner have worked hard to achieve our current five-star rating and it’s a credit to them.

“This is a result of commitment to looking at everything we do and making it better.

“Our kitchen team are proud to be serving the best American themed food while attaining impeccable standards.

“Our front of house team have extra focus on customer service, while support and training with external hospitality experts and investment from the Viva brand has helped take us to the next level and we’re excited for the future.”