Owner of Soho bar for 35 years accuses council of treating her like ‘criminal’ after licence review

By Adrian Zorzut, Local Democracy Reporter

The owner of famed Soho bar Trisha’s has accused the council of treating her like a “criminal”.

Patricia “Trish” Bergonzi has run the renowned Greek Street establishment for 35 years and said plans to review her licence were “devastating”.

The club faces closure after residents complained to the council of loud music, overcrowding and smoking in the premises.

The 74-year-old said: “I have been here for 35 years and I have never had any problems. I don’t understand why they’ve picked on me.”

She said she was “disgusted” by Westminster city council licensing officers who accused her of being drunk on the job.

She said: “I have Parkinson’s disease and I’ve had it for five years now. When this officer said I was drunk it was because I was shaking, it was absolutely disgusting.”

Although Trish admits to taking the odd swig of wine on the job, she said she never gets drunk. She also said the club has a strict no-drugs policy and bans patrons caught with any illegal substances.

She said: “Most people know me and know that I’m not like that. I would murder them first rather than take drugs”.

Westminster city council officers visited the bar over an almost three-month period earlier this year and found staff continuously failed to maintain accurate records and CCTV.

Officers also found the members club had lax fire safety standards and had exceeded its 60-person capacity. They also said the venue was the site of an alleged spiking in April.

But Trish accused authorities of going hard on her, and shot down claims her club was responsible for noise complaints in Greek Street.

She claimed the bar is one of the first in the street to close and that its licence means music can’t be played on the premises past 11pm.

She said the prospect of Trisha’s being closed for good was “totally devastating,” adding: “I don’t deserve to be treated like some criminal. I have worked all my life and I have never got a penny from the government.

“During the pandemic, we put up with a lot. Our bottom line was down real low but they [Westminster city council] don’t think about it. I thought they would help.”

She said this has been one of the biggest challenges she and the club has faced in its almost four-decade-long history under her ownership.

Trisha said: “I have never had more trouble in my life but I will challenge them, even if it is the last thing I do.”

Westminster councillor Aicha Less said: “Westminster city council values the vibrant nightlife and unique heritage of Soho, but we also have a responsibility to protect the public and ensure all licensed venues operate legally, safely and within the conditions of their licence.

“Following a council investigation and a series of complaints from residents and patrons, we have applied a review of this premise’s licence.

“A licensing sub-committee will consider the evidence and decide what action, if any, will be taken, and it would not be appropriate to comment further while the review is ongoing.”

Pictured top: Patricia ‘Trish’ Bergonzi inside Trisha’s (Picture: Adrian Zorzut)