A east London restaurant has claimed employing illegal workers was its “first and only mistake” as it battles to keep its licence.
The owners of Wood Oven BBQ and Pizzeria, in George Lane, South Woodford appeared before Redbridge Council’s licensing sub-committee earlier this week.
A Home Office investigation had uncovered three Bulgarian women without the right to work in the UK employed at the popular eatery.
The operators were slapped with a £120,000 fine in January, and have been paying off the six-figure penalty in monthly instalments of £3,333.
The Home Office has now requested the restaurant be stripped of its licence.
A representative for the restaurant conceded the owner, Ahmet Nam, had been “negligent” and was “fully aware” there could be “no excuses” for not complying in the future.
He told councillors Wood Oven was now operating in accordance with the law, performing background checks on employees, and all staff at the restaurant have the legal right to work in the UK.
He added there had been no visits by immigration officers since the Home Office’s visit last October.
It was alleged the three illegal workers were being paid cash-in-hand for a few hours of work a week. Two have since been deported while the third is currently wanted, agents from the Home Office said.
When pressed by committee member Councillor Martin Sachs, the owner said he “didn’t know” that Bulgarians require work visas since the UK left the EU in early 2020.
His spokesperson said it was his “first and only mistake in running a restaurant in 20 years,” and pointed to the venue’s “standing in the community”.
Ahead of the review, more than 400 letters in support of the business were submitted to the council.
Each one is identical – though individually signed – and praises the venue as an “outstanding restaurant” and the owner as a “highly respectful and responsible operator of Wood Oven”.
They have asked the committee to accept that the employment of the EU workers “was a mistake and not due to any intention to break the law”.
The letter says that, in “fairness” to Nam, there was a “lot of confusion about the employment of people from EU countries following Brexit” and “little information” was provided by the government.
However, Councillor Saira Jamil said they did not necessarily appear “genuine”.
A representative for the Home Office told the committee it “does not wish to unnecessarily restrict genuine community services such as successful restaurants,” but there were concerns “about the way it was being run”.
There are no other breaches of the Wood Oven’s premises licence on record.
