Restaurants where staff are bullied or abused should be stripped of Michelin stars, union says

The petition comes after claims of abuse within the Kitchin Group lead to the suspension of staff members

Restaurant kitchen crew preparing food (Getty Images)

Chefs are calling on awarding bodies to strip restaurants of their Michelin stars and AA rosettes if their staff are bullied or abused while working in kitchens.

The petition, started by chef’s union, Unichef, claims that a culture of “systemic abuse” exists in Britain’s hotels, pubs and restaurants.

It comes after 12 former staff members told The Times that they had been subjected to both physical and verbal abuse while working at celebrity chef Tom Kitchin’s restaurants.

Kitchin, 44, has appeared as a guest judge on BBC One’s MasterChef after becoming one of the youngest chefs to receive a Michelin star at age 29. He currently heads up two restaurants in Edinburgh; the Michelin-starred Kitchin, and gastropub Scran and Scallie.

In response to the allegations, the Kitchin Group confirmed it has suspended two senior members of staff and that an independent investigation has been launched.

But Brian Mcelderry, executive director of Unichef told The Independent that abuse has become “normalised” in the restaurant industry.

“We have believed for some time that it would take a major case to open up the abuse scandal of Britain’s kitchens and are appalled that the sponsors of such accredited restaurants have for many years turned a blind eye to this. There will be more such cases and even more big names to come.”

Unichef is now urging Michelin and the AA to implement a new system where Michelin stars and AA Rosettes will be rescinded if staff provide evidence of abuse.

“Both Michelin and the AA must now examine their roles in this scandal and be prepared to install a system of Accreditation Withdrawal on the evidence of abuse in kitchens that bear their sponsorship,” Mcelderry said.

The Times report comes after an Instagram page, @hospitalitybullshit, posted several anonymous accounts of abuse and bullying from staff.

One person claimed they had witnessed a chef purposefully press a “dangerously hot” tray against a worker’s arm, while another claimed they had worked shifts as long as 14 hours without a break.

Unichef’s petition, which has been signed by more than 100 chefs so far, has been backed by Unite Hospitality. The union’s own survey of 1,000 chefs earlier this year found that 40 per cent were considering leaving the trade due to bullying in kitchens.

“Unite supports any call for action to be taken against chefs who engage in bullying. It’s a deep-rooted problem in many kitchens and one which causes many young chefs to give up on this as a career choice,” Dave Turnbull, a national officer at Unite told The Independent.

“Coming out of the Covid-19 crisis we need to see a sector fit for purpose in the 21st century and that includes a zero-tolerance approach to all forms of bullying and harassment,” he said.

Kitchin Group MD Peter Southcott said in a statement: “For obvious reasons, anonymous and non-specific allegations made via social media are virtually impossible to verify and investigate. If anyone wishes to bring specific issues to our attention, they can do so via resolve@kitchingroup.com and they will be investigated by an independent, external HR consultancy.”

The Independent has contacted Michelin and the AA for comment.