A food truck owner says the reputation of the cafe next door, which closed due to poor hygiene reports, is dragging down his business even though he has five-star ratings.

The A20 Grill serves kebabs and burgers from a mobile van next to the Blue and White Cafe along the A20 Hythe Road in Smeeth.

It is owned by Ozcan Yalcin who bought the business from the cafe’s owners in March 2022 and has operated it as a separate business ever since.

But last month, bosses voluntarily closed The Blue and White Cafe after inspectors gave the site a zero-star hygiene rating, the lowest grade possible.

Rat droppings were found in the kitchen just months after the owner pledged to clean up the place.

But Mr Yalcin says the findings have nothing to do with his business but he has lost customers who think he is responsible.

The 38-year-old said: “It doesn't make me feel good, I have tried to build this business and I have a wife and three children to feed and support.

“The council is happy with my business.

“The negligence from The Blue and White report has nothing to do with me but it is affecting me because everyone thinks we are together.

“Since The Blue and White's review, we have been really quiet.

“The business is not associated with that rating, this is an entirely different business.”

While Mr Yalcin, from Repton Park in Ashford, prepares some of his food from the cafe’s kitchen, he says he has stepped up to deep clean the whole premises and eradicate the site’s pest problem for the benefit of his own business.

“After the last inspection, I started cleaning it all instantly,” he said. "It is not down to me to do all this, but I do it because I care about my business.

“The only thing I prepare in the cafe are salads on a Wednesday, everything else I do in the van.

“I only use a small section of the kitchen and the fridge freezer for storage and I have always followed cleanliness procedures on the sections I used.

“When I prepared my food, it was always when the cafe was closed.

“The inspectors came to look at the cafe, it had nothing to do with me but I have been the one to sort things out.

“I have deep-cleaned everything and there is nothing wrong with the cafe now. It is nice and clean and I want people to know that.”

In March, the cafe was given a one-star hygiene rating and bosses were ordered to clean up the place.

However, the latest inspection from October found the issues had not been fixed and the site was downgraded further.

Exterior drains were overflowing at the time of the visit as inspectors noted the “pungent” smell, while “the drains and pipes had a bubbling noise which was audible at the time of the visit”.

In general, the cleanliness of the cafe was found to require urgent improvement, with cooking areas and ventilation hoods having a build-up of grease.

While it has now been cleaned by Mr Yalcin, it is not clear if or when the cafe will reopen.