Alyn Williams threatens legal action after Westbury Mayfair dismissal

Alyn Williams has threatened to take legal action after his employment at the Westbury Mayfair hotel in London was terminated.

The chef-patron of the Michelin-starred Alyn Williams at the Westbury said he was dismissed at the beginning of October after entertaining friends on a Sunday lunchtime when the restaurant was closed.

According to Williams, he was dismissed for gross misconduct without notice or compensation after having an appeal rejected for using the restaurant without authority.

He argued that all food and drink had been supplied by the chef and no damage or loss was suffered, adding that he had used the restaurant in a similar way previously with the knowledge of hotel management.

He said: “I am understandably very upset and disappointed with the dismissal under these circumstances particularly since I have been employed by the hotel for the past eight years. I have had an exemplary employment record and was responsible, through the restaurant, for bringing prestige to the hotel, achieving a Michelin star which we maintained for eight successive years and four AA rosettes for five successive years.”

Williams added that he had asked the hotel to remove all references to his name in the restaurant and on the website. He is currently taking legal advice on the removal of his name from the business.

Alyn Williams at the Westbury opened in 2011 and a year later chef-patron Williams was named National Chef of the Year. The restaurant was awarded a Michelin star in 2013.

The Westbury hotel, owned by Cola Holdings, is operated under Marriott International’s Luxury Collection.

Andrew Henning, general manager of The Westbury Mayfair said: “We are very grateful to Alyn for the hard work he has put in whilst at The Westbury. His talent in the kitchen is evident and he’s been a real asset to the team. We wish him all the best in his future endeavours and look forward to seeing what he does next.”