Stories are bad news related to restaurants and food places like bad food hygiene, underpaying, exploiting migrant workers etc.
2019
- 15 Aug 2019 - Stuff: Maharaja India Limited ordered to pay wages and holiday pay. Ordered to pay nearly $60,000 to three former employees. Maharaja India was in the process of being deregistered. The restaurant had been renamed Raizada Indian Restaurant, and was now run by Raizada's son.
- 13 May 2019 - Ravi Singh, director of the Raviz restaurant in Botany ordered to pay $5000 by the Employment Relations Authority (ERA) for failing to comply with Labour Inspectorate instructions. Stuff reports it as a fine for failing to comply with Holiday Act breaches.
- 6 May 2019 - Stuff: Thai restaurateurs' $4.4m tax dodge alleged in hiding cash sales. RNZ: Family of Thai restaurateurs charged with tax fraud.
- Seven years up to 2015 the 11 acted together to evade income tax and GST of $4.4m from 14 companies that operated 28 restaurants in Auckland and the lower North Island, including Palmerston North, Masterton, the Hutt Valley, Whanganui, Hawke's Bay, and New Plymouth.
- Boonrouen Thongskul, 59; Sirirat Kampeng, 54; Vattanachai Kampeng, 54; Trai Sunathvanichkul, 31; Trin Sunathvanichkul, 33; Chanaratt Thongskul, 51; Supaowalax Thongskul, 43; Anchalee Minwong, 57; Chusack Minwong, 51; Anuchit Tongskul, 50; and Rina Tongskul, 49.
- Thai House Express or variation of that name.
- Thai House Express, 303 Victoria St, Hamilton 3204.
- Thai House Express, 39 Ruapehu St, Taupo 3330.
- Thai House Express Napier, 151 Hastings St, Napier South, Napier 4110.
- Thai House Express Wanganui or Thai House Express 2, 149 Victoria Avenue, Wanganui or Whanganui 4500.
- Thai House Express 3, 79 Devon St W, New Plymouth 4310.
- Thai House Express, 168 Main Street, Upper Hutt 5018.
- Thai House Express, 14C Queen St, Masterton 5810. 06-370 8896
- Jun 07 2019 update: Trial of restaurateurs on $4 million tax charges ends, case against six collapses
2018
- Indian Palace restaurant, on Carlyle St, Napier. Restaurant owner jailed for tax evasion, wife gets home detention Stuff on Nov 14 2018. Owners: Rakesh and Nalini Kumar
- Rotorua's Lovely India restaurant.
- Vishnu Hospitality Limited, trading as Lovely India restaurant
- Not-so-lovely dealings see Rotorua's Lovely India restaurant fined $10k NZ Herald on 28 Sep, 2018.
- Restaurant owner shows 'no real remorse' for employment breaches Stuff on Sep 28 2018.
- Shamiana and Shamiana Enterprises
- Director Satish Shetty
- Restaurant chain owner fined for underpaying staff MBIE press release on 16 March 2018. Also on Scoop.
- Restaurant chain exploited, underpaid workers for years RNZ on 16 March 2018.
- 22 restaurants, 120 staff - and now a $40,000 fine NZ Herald on 16 Mar, 2018.
- Indian restaurant manager will receive $18k over dismissal Stuff on Mar 16 2018.
- Indian restaurant manager will receive $18k over dismissal Stuff on May 27 2017.
2017
- Apr 10 2017 - Waikato restaurateurs punished for $230,000 tax fraud.
- Korean couple Hong Sog Kim, 47, and Hyun Joo Chung aka Michelle Kim, 50, systematically defrauded the IRD over five years to the tune of more than $230,000 have been sentenced to home detention and community work. The offending related to Korean restaurants that Kim owned and managed with Chung in Hamilton and Te Awamutu.
- The last three of these companies – Korean Minsokchon Hamilton Restaurant Ltd, NZ Minsokchon Ltd, and MJ Kitchen Ltd
2016
- 40 tonnes of dirt dumped outside Xotic Sweets & Snacks, near Cnr Mt Albert and Sandringham Rds because they haven't paid their bill.
- "Barry Hart, the director of Central Site Works Limited and owner of Central Trucking Limited, dumped "four of the smelliest loads I could find" outside Xotic Sweets & Snacks in Sandringham on Friday."
- "He said the act was retribution for about $88,000 of unpaid bills that the cafe's director Jaspal Singh owed to both his companies and HT Drainage for demolishing a commercial building." Stuff + NZ Herald 25 December 2016.
- Barry Hart's facebook post w pics and vid. Auckland dirt dumper warns: prepare for more, stuff December 26 2016.
- Stories on Masala Indian Restaurant in Auckland.
- Nicole Crabtree began working at Graham Murrell's Surf N' Turf Cafe & Takeaways in Carterton on April 16 2015 and was dismissed from her position four months later on August 12. 275 hours of work. She sought arrears of wages saying she wasn't paid throughout her employment, except for a cash payment of $92 on the day she was dismissed.
- Kapilaben Patel has been awarded $31,413.19 for unpaid wages and $11,400 in reimbursement for the premiums paid. Patel was employed by Christchurch restaurant Curry Pot on Lincoln Limited from August 2011 until the employment ended in July 2014. She was forced to pay her boss $14,400 in "premiums" to secure her job as a chef at an Indian restaurant.
- Restaurant penalised for failing to keep employment records. Stuff. May 18 2016. Hawera's Indian Zaika restaurant, in South Taranaki. Walia Holdings Ltd (WHL) were unable to provide evidence of compliant wage, time, holiday and leave records.
- Queenstown's Hikari Japanese Restaurant fined $6000 over employment records. Stuff. December 24 2015.
- Taste of Egypt Ltd in Nelson has been ordered to pay $92,000 in unpaid wages, penalties, interest and costs after the Employment Relations Authority determined that it underpaid two foreign workers and provided false evidence when under investigation. Taste of Egypt Ltd in Sundial Square has been sold for $70,000 but its owners and directors, Dianne MacFarlane and Saeed Awad, have a second takeaway restaurant of that name in Papanui Rd, Christchurch.
- Genki Japanese Restaurant was the focus of TV3's 3D Investigation on Monday 23 November 2015.
- NZ's most vulnerable workers by Michael Morrah. Facebook This page has a link to the 3D video that was aired as well as some of the story but restaurant wasn't named.
- Opinion: The exploited by Michael Morrah. Facebook.
- Facebook links are included because the have comments from daughter, Aimer Imai and reply from 3D as well as Migrante Aotearoa.
- Yaowaluck Ruansook and her partner Bun My Ching, who had owned Golden Bell on Hardy St, Nelson. Former restaurant owners named as tax evaders on Jul 02 2015.
- Indian restaurant chef awarded $32k in unpaid wages. NZ Herald 25 June 2015. Restaurant is Bombay Palace Indian Restaurant, Wanaka. Chef Mohammad Irfam Ali awarded $32k. Breakdown: $21,305 for unpaid wages, $5962 in holiday pay and $5000 compensation for his personal grievance in not being paid. The former company behind the restaurant must also pay the Crown $10,000 in penalties - a total bill of $42,266. Directors: Ramesh Anand RAJAGOPAL + Elilarasi RAMESH ANAND of 92b Anderson Road, Wanaka, 9305. Case is 2015 NZERA Christchurch 80 Ali v Abhisek Quality Foods Ltd t/a Bombay Palace Indian Restaurant Wanaka 15 June 2015 [2015] NZERA Christchurch 80. Abhisek Quality Foods Ltd still registeted at companies office. There's still a Bombay Palace Restaurant at the same address, w same phone number. Trip Advisor latest review 3 Sept 2015. Zomato last review June 2015.
- Little Saigon in Christchurch. Chef awarded $174,356.65 after working for 5 years without pay. NZ Herald, Stuff and Radio NZ.
- [2014] NZERA Christchurch 173. Nguyen and Anor v Hue Kim Thi Ta t/a Little Saigon Restaurant. Judgement date 5 November 2014. link.
- [2014] NZERA Christchurch 212. Nguyen and Anor v Thi Ta t/a Little Saigon Restaurant. Judgment Date: 18 December 2014. link.
- 2014 NZERA Auckland 486. Ma v Mak-Rush Ltd t/a Bella Bambina Ristorante. Judgment Date: 28 November 2014. link.
- Beagle Brothers Limited, trading as Genji Ponsonby, underpaid two migrant workers.
- Beijing Restaurant, Wanganui Central.
Migrant Exploitation
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