Greggs fights for right to sell late-night chicken goujons to Londoners

Greggs is set for a court battle against Westminster City Council after the bakery’s Leicester Square site was refused permission to sell hot food and drinks overnight.

The Newcastle-based bakery chain revealed that it is in “mediation talks” with Westminster City Council as it prepares for a three-day appeal starting on 16 May.

Greggs had applied for a premises license that would allow the sale of late night refreshments from Monday to Sunday between 11pm and 5am at its flagship store in London’s West End, which opened last July.

Westminster City Council’s licensing sub-committee rejected the application last summer on the grounds that the increase in licensed late-night venues would risk the area becoming a “honey pot” destination for night-life that would contribute to an “increase in criminal activities and anti-social behaviour”.

The committee ruled against allowing the sale of late-night hot food, such as bacon sandwiches and chicken goujons, and hot drinks, such as hot chocolate and coffee, because this could increase the likelihood of the vicinity “becoming further swamped with people” who had been drinking at nearby pubs.

Greggs would not need a separate licence to sell cold produce, including its sausage rolls or bakes.

The Metropolitan police said the Greggs store is located at the “heart” of the West End in an area that already has a “high rate of anti-social behaviour” that is “on the increase”.

At the time of the consultation, Greggs had told the sub-committee that late-night customers would mostly include shift workers and staff from emergency services and that it would commit to installing CCTV, litter picking and SIA door staff.

The Caterer understands that the baker is still keen to pursue extended operating hours for hot food, since nearby competitors such as McDonald’s, which is located less than 200ft away, is allowed to operate its Leicester Square site between 5am to 2.45am every day.

Westminster City Council has been approached for comment.

*Image: Richard M Lee / Shutterstock *