Dim Sum diner has had its chips after repeatedly taking on illegal workforce

By Ben Lynch, Local Democracy Reporter

A London dim sum restaurant has had its licence stripped after repeatedly being caught employing illegal workers.

Royal China on Baker Street has been fined almost half a million pounds over three separate stings since 2018, during which time 20 illegal employees have been arrested.

In a written submission to Westminster City council, an Immigration Officer described the restaurant as “the worst licensed premises in Westminster” the Home Office is dealing with for illegal working.

The department added workers employed by Royal China, which is owned by the Royal China Group, reported being paid less than the minimum wage and working excessive hours.

“One worker reported that they worked washing dishes 11 hours per day, 6 days per week and earning £400 a week (around £6 per hour compared to the minimum wage of £11.44 per hour),” the officer wrote.

The first visit by the Central London Immigration Compliance and Enforcement (ICE) team, in October 2018, found nine members of staff working illegally, and the restaurant slapped with an £80,000 penalty.

This was followed by a revisit in May 2019, when another two illegal workers were caught, and a further £30,000 having to be paid out. And in May this year, another nine workers were arrested, with a huge £360,000 fine administered, taking the total to £470,000.

Backed by the police, the licensing authority and the council’s environmental health service, the Home Office requested Westminster revoke Royal China’s existing licence, describing it as “not in compliance with its legal requirements”.

At a licensing sub-committee meeting held last week, Immigration Officer Leonard Johnson reiterated it is a legal requirement for employers in the UK to carry out right-to-work checks, and again described the restaurant as the ‘worst licensed premises’ the department is working with for illegal working in the borough.

The council’s Environmental Health Officer, Kudzaishe Mondhlani, said a particular concern was that, during the Home Office’s first visit, the fire alarm was set off in a bid to ‘create mayhem’.

“They cannot be trusted to create a safe environment for members of the public,” he told the committee.

Chair Cllr Maggie Carman asked Mr Johnson whether any of the Royal China Group’s other restaurants are also being investigated, to which she was told the premises at 24-26 Baker Street is the only one being looked into at present.

“How unusual is it, it seems quite unusual to me, that a business can stump up £470,000 in fines just like that and still carry on as a business? It just doesn’t add up,” she said.

Mr Johnson acknowledged ‘something doesn’t add up’, and that the number of illegal workers found over the three visits was not something the department typically encounters.

The licensee’s decision not to attend the meeting was also raised, with PC Steve Muldoon, representing the Met Police, describing their absence as ‘disappointing’.

The Royal China Group owns restaurants in spots including Fulham and Harrow-on-the-Hill, as well as two on Baker Street.

Pictured top: The Royal China Restaurant (Picture: Google Street View)