Front of house employees to gain most from new national living wage amid widespread pay rises for kitchen roles
Chef embroiled in a wage dispute causes £13,000 of damage to employers' pubs and cars in North Wales
Food poisoning incident at Northamptonshire pub leaves 1 dead and 31 ill
Salt Bae's Nusr-Et can't find staff despite offering "competitive salary" matching the price of mashed potatoes
A chef locked in a salary dispute with his ex-employers has caused more than £13,000 in damage to their three pubs in North Wales.
According to North Wales Live, the chef, who, due to his "difficult" behaviour in asking for the money he believed he was owed whilst working at the the Saracens Head in Beddgelert pub in 2020, was demoted from head chef to sous-chef, went on what a judge called "a revenge attack," destroying the interiors of the pub and the owners' cars, causing destruction valued around £13,000.
When he failed to reach an agreement about hours worked with his employers, who also own The Royal Goat and The Brondanw Arms, he reportedly threatened to "smash up" the premises, leaving a note to one of the owners reading, "To Valerie. You're a c***," smashing the rear window of her car and scratching the paint with a key.
He then went on what a judge called "a revenge attack" across all three pubs, superglueing doors, spray painting smiley faces on the walls and over the CCTV cameras, opening beer pumps and leaving the water taps on so long that one of the ceiling collapsed.
He broke several of the tills and an Apple computer, and damaged two other owners' cars.
Instead of prison time, the chef was given a 20-month suspended term for the five counts of criminal damages he pleaded guilty to, because the judge deemed that his behaviour has since mitigated his past actions.
The chef has stopped drinking, which has been an ongoing issue of his since he lost his mother as a teenager, has a young son and has moved back to Scotland.
In his defence, he claimed that the wage dispute was ongoing, but that he had dealt with it in the "wrong way," and that he should have instead gone through "the proper channels."
In these challenging times…
The Staff Canteen team are taking a different approach to keeping our website independent and delivering content free from commercial influence. Our Editorial team have a critical role to play in informing and supporting our audience in a balanced way. We would never put up a paywall and restrict access – The Staff Canteen is open to all and we want to keep bringing you the content you want; more from younger chefs, more on mental health, more tips and industry knowledge, more recipes and more videos. We need your support right now, more than ever, to keep The Staff Canteen active. Without your financial contributions this would not be possible.
Over the last 12 years, The Staff Canteen has built what has become the go-to platform for chefs and hospitality professionals. As members and visitors, your daily support has made The Staff Canteen what it is today. Our features and videos from the world’s biggest name chefs are something we are proud of. We have over 500,000 followers across Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and other social channels, each connecting with chefs across the world. Our editorial and social media team are creating and delivering engaging content every day, to support you and the whole sector - we want to do more for you.
A single coffee is more than £2, a beer is £4.50 and a large glass of wine can be £6 or more.
Support The Staff Canteen from as little as £1 today. Thank you.
Support Us
CONTRIBUTE
Chef embroiled in a wage dispute causes £13,000 of damage to employers' pubs and cars in North Wales
Front of house employees to gain most from new national living wage amid widespread pay rises for kitchen roles
Food poisoning incident at Northamptonshire pub leaves 1 dead and 31 ill
Salt Bae's Nusr-Et can't find staff despite offering "competitive salary" matching the price of mashed potatoes
