AFTER three major blows, sandwich bar owners Paul and Kirsty Young have fought back strongly. Now, however, they have the missing ingredient – a five-out-of-five hygiene certificate.
"It's massive for us," said Paul. "Absolutely massive. People look for your hygiene score."
It is about time the husband and wife team, co-owners of Gee's Sandwich Bar in Midland Road, Derby, had some good news.
Derbyshire Royal Infirmary became London Road Community Hospital in 2009, with most of its departments closing, leaving a huge dent in the couple's takings.
In May last year, they were dealt a further blow with the closure of the Midland Road Post Office, directly opposite their shop.
And then, just three months later, things went from bad to worse when London Road closed for a year so a new bridge could be built.
Because of these three setbacks, Paul and Kirsty have had to work day and night to keep the 40-year-old business afloat. In a bid to boost turnover, they now open throughout the day.
Paul said: "In the morning, we are a cafe serving full English breakfasts and hash browns – that sort of thing.
"At lunchtime we are a sandwich bar, selling fresh sandwiches, jacket potatoes and paninis.
"And now, in the evenings, we do bistro nights and serve tapas food. We do these nights most Fridays and Saturdays and are taking party bookings. We never say 'no'.
"It means some days we're open at 8am and don't finish till midnight. That's what we have to do to keep going.
"We arrived here in October 2006. Since then, what's happened down here has been dreadful.
"We've lost the hospital, the post office and London Road is closed.
"Meanwhile, they've done up the walkway up to town. We suffer from that as it takes people away from where we are.
"And now the Green Lane end of town is going to have £2 million spent on it.
"Where we are is like a forgotten land."
Paul said the top hygiene rating was a crucial lifeline.
He said: "We're over the moon. We've worked so hard for it.
"Our kitchen is quite old so we've always been rated a four.
"Because of the setbacks we've faced, we decided to make a big effort to get five out of five so that we could use that to attract more customers.
"To do all the flooring and decor cost around £2,000. It was worth it because now we've been upgraded to a five."
In an inspection, establishments are checked for their level of compliance with food hygiene and safety procedures, compliance with structural requirements and confidence in management.
These scores can range from zero to five, with five being "very good"
Ratings are given to restaurants, takeaways, cafes, sandwich shops, pubs and hotels.
Schools, hospitals and care homes are also rated, along with supermarkets, bakeries and delis.
Among the places celebrating a top hygiene score is Slice Of India buffet restaurant in Mansfield Road.
Its general manager Ben Corner said it was fantastic news for the restaurant.
He said: "We were rating a five last year as well and we're really pleased to have kept it at that.
"A lot of high-profile places don't get five so for us to get it is fantastic.
"For me, it's important to get a five because it shows you're doing everything right.
"Also, customers put a lot of emphasis on it. It's definitely something people look for and pay attention to."
Slice of India has 45 employees and Mr Corner said they all deserved credit.
He said: "It's very much a team effort. All the staff are professional and take the job seriously.
"It's not just about keeping everywhere clean. You have to keep all the paperwork in order and they've done that."
HERE is a full list of the food hygiene scores for Derby premises inspected in February. 0/5 – Sizzling Kitchen, Burton Road; Abbey Food Store, Abbey Street; Punjabi Spice, Harvey Road. 1/5 – Khyber Pass Karahi, Normanton Road; Little Acorns Private Day Nursery, Thornhill Road; Chicken Cottage, Normanton Road; Spicy Bites, Derby Lane; Hong Shing, London Road. 2/5 – Finale Thai Tapas and Dining, The Strand. 3/5 – Holbrook Fish Bar, Holbrook Road; Jonty Farmer, Kedleston Road; Oaklands, Oaklands Avenue; Pizza Cielo, Royal Glen Park; Ascot Fish Bar, Osmaston Road; J Marcer Bakery, Brighton Road; Pak Foods, Normanton Road; Silk Mill Ale and Cider House, Full Street; Tuck Inn, Mansfield Road; Lis Fish Bar, Chaddesden Lane; Bryers Heritage Ltd, Markeaton Lane; Willow Sports Centre, Willow Row; Al-Nawabz, Osmaston Road; Dulwich Manor, Dulwich Road; The Flower Pot, King Street. 4/5 – Cafe Number Six, Ashbourne Road; The Chestnut Tree, Portland Street; Ambala Sweet Centre, Normanton Road; East Ocean, Brackens Lane; Super Polski Delikatesy, St Thomas Road; Taste Buds, Elton Road; The Gables, Morley Road; Chets Stores, Berwick Avenue; Hong Kong Takeaway, Monk Street; Good Food Inn, Kedleston Street; Kam Yin, Nottingham Road; Mediterranean Cafe, Morledge; Purewal General Store, Cornwall Road; Ridgeway Food & Wine, Ridgeway; Nads Fast Food Takeaway, Morledge; Cobbers Cafe, Sacheverel Street; Balti Nights, Wordsworth Avenue; Premier Stores, Clarence Road; The Birches, Station Road; The Secret Dining Company, Exeter Arms, Exeter Place; Revolucion de Cuba, The Strand; The Royal British Legion, Chellaston Road; Zaza Pizza, Osmaston Road; BBQ Express, Normanton Road; Imperial Dragon, Shardlow Road; Nickys Fish Bar And Restaurant, Osmaston Road; The Mile, Friar Gate. 5/5 – Caffe Grazia, London Road; First Friends Private Day Nursery Ltd, Chaddesden Park Road; Harrington Nursery School, Harrington Street; Littleover Live at Home Scheme, Constable Drive; PP Derby (Kaila Ltd), Nottingham Road; Florence Nightingale Care Homes, Village Street; Subway, Kingsway Retail Park; Orchard Nursery School, Derby Road; Subway, Derwent Parade; Abbeydale Nursing Home, Duffield Road; Bean Caffe, Ford Street; Birds (Derby) Ltd, Nottingham Road; Caterlink Ltd, Locomotive Way; Morrisons Local, Ashbourne Road; Aldi Store, Nottingham Road; Charcoal Grill, Wardwick; Mercy Care Centre, Highfields Park Drive; Orchard Garden Day Nursery, Green Lane; Chaira Brothers Store, Kelso Walk; The Limes, Limes Avenue; The Lodge, Grange Road; League Of Friends Shop & Store, London Road Community Hospital, London Road; Mitie Catering, Jubilee House, St Christopher Way; Bluebell Park Care Home, Rowallan Way; The Spice Lounge, Friar Gate; China Town, Uttoxeter New Road; Friars Bar And Steak House, Friar Gate; Gastronom Natali, Normanton Road; Sing Sing Jan, Wiltshire Road; Sodexho Catering and Support Services, Sinfin Lane; Luca's Plaice, Edmund Road; Mackworth Balti, Humbleton Drive; Mr Pretzel, Westfield Centre; Play and Learn Nursery, Carlton Road; Quad Cafe Bar, Market Place; Subway, Victoria Street; The Argosy, Manor Road; Children Day Nursery, Rosehill Early Years Centre, Lower Dale Road; Bagel Nash, Westfield Derby; Field Lane Community Centre Playgroup, Field Lane; Cube Cafe Bar, Déda, Chapel Street; Freddy's Play Kingdom, Nottingham Road; Derwent Coffee, Market Hall; Hackwood Farm, Radbourne Lane; Pizza Hut Delivery, Uttoxeter New Road; The Cottage Private Day Nursery, Uttoxeter Road; Arboretum Primary School, Corden Street; J S Sainsbury, Kingsway; Oakwood Church Lunch Club, Bishops Drive; St Andrew's School, St Andrew's View; Gee's Sandwich Bar in Midland Road; Slice Of India, Mansfield Road.