Soho restaurant employee says he's still waiting to be paid two weeks after protest

A former employee of a Soho restaurant has said he is still waiting to receive overdue wages, almost two weeks after ex-staff protested at the restaurant’s entrance.

At least six former employees were joined by the Green Party’s candidate for London and Westminster, Zack Polanski, outside Martha’s restaurant in Soho’s Wardour Street on Thursday 21 November.

Pictures of the group holding signs saying “Martha’s don’t pay their staff” quickly went viral and eventually more former employees contacted the group to say they were also missing owed wages.

Former bar worker Callum Sellins told The Caterer that the restaurant’s owner Conor Thomson-Moore had spoken to the protestors individually and said outstanding money would be paid. He said those who came forward have now been paid except restaurant supervisor Filippo Mezzi, who worked at the restaurant from its opening in April until the end of September. He told The Caterer he was still owed more than £700 for his final two weeks’ work.

The first protester had been Daniela Mengod, who said she was owed more than £850 by the restaurant. She said she was eventually paid after picketing the entrance. She told The Caterer: “The owner and manager had told me I was going to get paid in three weeks, after waiting more than three months I made the decision to protest because I couldn’t wait any longer.”

Sellins, who was employed at the restaurant this summer, added: “The payment day was a Wednesday, we would never see the payment on a Wednesday, maybe the Thursday, maybe the following Wednesday, but it got worse and worse while I was there.”

The Caterer contacted Thomson-Moore, but he declined to comment. He had previously told The Guardian all staff owed wages had been paid.

Martha’s opened in April this year.