Joe & the Juice cafés fined £40,000 for mouse infestations

Two Joe & the Juice cafés in central London have been fined £40,000 each after serious mouse infestations were found.

The sites on Garrick Street and Davies Street were ordered to pay out a total of £95,000 including costs and victim surcharges at Westminster Magistrates Court on 22 January.

A court heard that the Garrick Street café was closed by Westminster City Council due to a mouse infestation discovered in June 2023.

Mouse droppings were found in boxes of bread used for sandwiches and on napkins intended for customers.

An additional inspection of Joe & the Juice on Davies Street in December 2023 found bread stored on trays had been gnawed by mice. Droppings were also found in storage and front of house serving areas.

Food crumbs were found below shelves that were believed to have encouraged the infestation.

Both cases were serious enough to be served Hygiene Emergency Prohibition Notices, which temporarily closed both locations.

The two branches pleaded guilty at the first opportunity to two offences under food hygiene regulations.

Cllr Aicha Less, deputy leader and cabinet member for children and public protection at Westminster City Council, said: “Customers should have peace of mind that the kitchen and cafés they enjoy have the highest standards of hygiene and cleanliness. However, the details of these cases are truly shocking and fall well below the standards we expect of food businesses in Westminster.

“The severity of these fines demonstrates how seriously we take food hygiene, and residents and visitors can be reassured that the council will take meaningful action to keep them safe.

"We continue to work closely with all food and hospitality businesses to make sure the very highest standards of cleanliness are maintained."

A Joe & the Juice spokesperson said: “We are fully committed to food safety and hygiene standards. We took immediate steps to rectify the issues at these two sites, which have now received the highest hygiene ratings from the Food Standards Agency. We will continue to develop and implement best practice policies and procedures to uphold stringent protocols across all our stores.”

Joe & the Juice was founded in Copenhagen in 2002 and operates over 60 locations in London, Brighton, Oxford, Birmingham and Liverpool.

Restaurant images: Westminster City Council

Top image: cktravels.com/Shutterstock