Southern Fried Chicken food hygiene rating
Takeaway/sandwich shop · North Hertfordshire
Southern Fried Chicken holds a 3: generally satisfactory. The takeaway met the legal standard, but the inspector recorded enough minor issues that it fell short of a good or very good rating.
The rating: 3 - Generally satisfactory
The rating dates from 5 June 2025, 13 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: 6A Brand Street, Hitchin, SG5 1HX
How it compares in North Hertfordshire
In North Hertfordshire, 78% of rated places manage a 5, so Southern Fried Chicken sits behind roughly 944 nearby businesses. 5% of the borough shares its 3.
| 5 out of 5 | 789 | 78% | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 out of 5 | 155 | 15% | ||
| 3 out of 5 | 48 | 5% | ← Southern Fried Chicken | |
| 2 out of 5 | 13 | 1% | ||
| 1 out of 5 | 10 | 1% | ||
| 0 out of 5 | 0 | 0% |
A further 105 businesses in the area are awaiting inspection or exempt, so are not counted above.
What the inspector found
- Hygienic food handling Generally satisfactory
- Cleanliness & condition of the building Generally satisfactory
- 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 Southern Fried Chicken none of the three raised a concern, the overall rating is only ever as strong as its weakest area, so a clean sweep is what produces a high score.
Food hygiene ratings nearby
The closest food businesses to Southern Fried Chicken, nearest first, so you can see how it compares to its neighbours.
| Business | Distance | Rating | Inspected |
|---|---|---|---|
| Greggs The Bakers Retailers - other | 97 yards away | 5 - Very good | 8 August 2025 |
| Costa Coffee Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 114 yards away | 5 - Very good | 5 August 2025 |
| Hatter's Cafe Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 115 yards away | 5 - Very good | 18 June 2025 |
| Groundworks Coffee Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 122 yards away | 5 - Very good | 16 April 2025 |
| Bombay Bite Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 130 yards away | 5 - Very good | 15 April 2025 |
| Hitchin Information Retailers - other | 130 yards away | 5 - Very good | 13 February 2024 |
| GAIL's Hitchin Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 150 yards away | 5 - Very good | 3 December 2024 |
| Esquires Hitchin Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 153 yards away | 5 - Very good | 18 June 2026 |
Questions about Southern Fried Chicken
What is Southern Fried Chicken's food hygiene rating?
Southern Fried Chicken has a food hygiene rating of 3 out of 5 (generally satisfactory), given by North Hertfordshire Council on 5 June 2025.
Is Southern Fried Chicken safe to eat at?
A 3 means the takeaway met the legal standard, so it is lawful to eat there, but the inspector recorded issues that stopped it scoring higher. It is the middle of the scale.
When was Southern Fried Chicken last inspected?
Southern Fried Chicken was last inspected on 5 June 2025, 13 months ago. Food hygiene inspections are unannounced, and the rating is published by North Hertfordshire Council rather than by the business.
What did the inspector find at Southern Fried Chicken?
The inspector scored three areas. Hygienic food handling was rated "generally satisfactory", the cleanliness and condition of the building "generally satisfactory", and confidence in the management of food safety "generally satisfactory". Lower concern in all three is what earns a high overall rating.
How does Southern Fried Chicken compare to other places in North Hertfordshire?
78% of the 1,015 rated food businesses in North Hertfordshire hold the top rating of 5, while Southern Fried Chicken holds a 3. 48 places in the area share that rating.
Who decides the rating?
North Hertfordshire Council inspects Southern Fried Chicken 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 Southern Fried Chicken and we will email you the morning after its rating changes.
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Understanding this rating
More food hygiene ratings near here
Southern Fried Chicken is one of 307 rated food businesses in Hitchin. See every hygiene rating in Hitchin →
North Hertfordshire inspects and rates 1,120 food businesses across its whole area. See every food hygiene rating in North Hertfordshire →
The official record is held by the council: http://www.north-herts.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 →