Soho House venue under investigation for food safety
A former chef contacted Hackney Council after complaining to managers at the members' club.
Soho House venue under investigation for food safety
A venue belonging to private members’ club Soho House is being investigated by the local council after a former employee raised concerns about rats and allegedly out-of-date food being served.
The former staff member told BBC News that he was pressured to replace labels on prepared food if it had not been sold by the end of the day, and said he regularly saw rats at the venue.
His contract was ended two months after he first raised concerns, but Soho House said this had nothing to do with his complaints.
The company added that the food incident was a one-off and that relabelling unsold food was not company policy, but it did not address the claim about rats.
Hackney Council has confirmed it is investigating food safety and hygiene at Soho House’s Shoreditch site.
The former staff member at Shoreditch House, Kamran Khan, first raised concerns informally about the alleged relabelling practice before making a formal complaint to Soho House.
Khan was on probation at the venue when he raised the concerns in July, and his employment was terminated earlier in September.
After his formal complaint, the company investigated and told Khan on 24 August that there was evidence supporting his claim and that steps were being taken to deal with the issue.
Khan said the practice continued despite the assurances he was allegedly given, which led him to complain to Hackney Council instead.
A council spokesperson said: "We have received a report about food safety and hygiene at Shoreditch House and have opened an investigation."
Speaking to BBC News, Khan said he was told during a probation meeting to continue the practice.
The 30-year-old, who told BBC News he has worked several jobs in catering and hospitality, said he was told "if I don't change labels on my own initiative, [they] would take that as a performance concern".
He said he felt forced to raise the issue because he saw many children and pregnant women at the restaurant.
"I told them that I don't want to be held personally liable for anyone that gets injured," he said.
Food served in a restaurant must legally be labelled with information including the best-before or use-by date.
Khan also said rats had been at the venue for a long time and that cleaners were told to check daily for rat droppings.
A Soho House spokesperson apologised for the incident, saying: "This is not how we expect our houses to operate and it is not company policy."
They said an external, independent investigation and audit had been carried out.
"Delivering the highest level of food safety for our members and guests is incredibly important to us," they added.
"For clarity, the former employee's contract was terminated for reasons entirely unrelated to food labelling."