Waterfront Hotel food hygiene rating
Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen · Dover
Waterfront Hotel holds a 2, which means some improvement is necessary. The inspector found problems at the restaurant that the business is required to fix.
The rating: 2 - Some improvement necessary
The rating dates from 15 August 2025, 11 months ago. Councils typically re-inspect higher-risk businesses every six months to two years, with well-run, low-risk places visited least often, so this is a normal gap.
Address: 29 Beach Street, Deal, CT14 6HY
How it compares in Dover
A 2 is rare: only 18 of 1,086 rated places in Dover score this low, about one in 60. By contrast 82% of the borough holds a 5, so this is well below what the council's inspectors normally find.
| 5 out of 5 | 892 | 82% | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 out of 5 | 113 | 10% | ||
| 3 out of 5 | 46 | 4% | ||
| 2 out of 5 | 18 | 2% | ← Waterfront Hotel | |
| 1 out of 5 | 15 | 1% | ||
| 0 out of 5 | 2 | <1% |
A further 115 businesses in the area are awaiting inspection or exempt, so are not counted above.
What the inspector found
- Hygienic food handling Improvement necessary
- Cleanliness & condition of the building Improvement necessary
- How well they manage food safety Generally satisfactory
An inspection scores three things: how food is handled, the physical condition of the premises, and how much the inspector trusts management to keep standards up. At Waterfront Hotel the inspector recorded concerns over how food is handled and the condition of the premises. Because the overall rating is only ever as strong as its weakest area, that is what holds the score down.
Food hygiene ratings nearby
The closest food businesses to Waterfront Hotel, nearest first, so you can see how it compares to its neighbours.
| Business | Distance | Rating | Inspected |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mex on the Beach Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 29 yards away | 5 - Very good | 2 July 2024 |
| Middle Street Coffee Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 61 yards away | 5 - Very good | 5 September 2025 |
| Deal Beach Hut Retailers - other | 62 yards away | 5 - Very good | 19 November 2021 |
| Deal Pier Kitchen Takeaway/sandwich shop | 62 yards away | 5 - Very good | 26 January 2026 |
| Little Harriettes of Deal Tea Rooms Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 68 yards away | 5 - Very good | 12 February 2025 |
| Luscious Chinese Takeaway Takeaway/sandwich shop | 81 yards away | 5 - Very good | 4 March 2026 |
| Dine India Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 85 yards away | 5 - Very good | 8 July 2024 |
| Kings Head Ph Pub/bar/nightclub | 93 yards away | 5 - Very good | 29 May 2025 |
Questions about Waterfront Hotel
What is Waterfront Hotel's food hygiene rating?
Waterfront Hotel has a food hygiene rating of 2 out of 5 (some improvement necessary), given by Dover Council on 15 August 2025.
Is Waterfront Hotel safe to eat at?
A 2 means the inspector found problems the business is required to fix. The restaurant is not shut down, a rating is not a closure order, but standards were found to be below what the law expects at the time of inspection.
When was Waterfront Hotel last inspected?
Waterfront Hotel was last inspected on 15 August 2025, 11 months ago. Food hygiene inspections are unannounced, and the rating is published by Dover Council rather than by the business.
What did the inspector find at Waterfront Hotel?
The inspector scored three areas. Hygienic food handling was rated "improvement necessary", the cleanliness and condition of the building "improvement necessary", and confidence in the management of food safety "generally satisfactory". Lower concern in all three is what earns a high overall rating.
How does Waterfront Hotel compare to other places in Dover?
82% of the 1,086 rated food businesses in Dover hold the top rating of 5, while Waterfront Hotel holds a 2. 18 places in the area share that rating.
Who decides the rating?
Dover Council inspects Waterfront Hotel and sets the rating; the Food Standards Agency publishes it. Neither the business nor this site can change a rating, a business that disagrees can appeal to its council, and can request a re-inspection once it has fixed the problems.
Tell me when this changes
The Food Standards Agency publishes only a business's rating today, not what it scored before, and not when it moves. We check every UK rating each night. Watch Waterfront Hotel and we will email you the morning after its rating changes.
Free, for three businesses, forever. No password, we send you a link. How rating alerts work →
Is this your business?
A rating of 2 is public, and most customers look. Only 18% of people say they would order from a business rated 2 or below, against 94% from one rated 4. Delivery platforms may decline to list you.
We cannot change this rating, and nor can you. It was set by an environmental health officer at Dover, and it stands until they inspect again. What you can do:
- Fix what the inspector found, then ask the council for a re-inspection. Most charge between £120 and £316, and will not re-visit within three months of the original inspection.
- If you believe the rating is simply wrong, you have 21 days from being notified to appeal to the council. That is 21 calendar days, not working days.
- You may submit a right to reply at any time. It is published alongside the rating, here, and on the FSA's own site.
What a low rating means → · How re-inspections and appeals work →
Your council: Dover
Understanding this rating
More food hygiene ratings near here
Waterfront Hotel is one of 199 rated food businesses in Deal. See every hygiene rating in Deal →
Dover inspects and rates 1,201 food businesses across its whole area. See every food hygiene rating in Dover →
The official record is held by the council: http://www.dover.gov.uk/
Rating from the Food Standards Agency under the Open Government Licence. Ratings reflect standards found at the time of inspection and can change. If you think a rating is wrong, the official record is held by the FSA and the local authority; corrections there flow through here. How ratings work →