Fine dining restaurant at luxury hotel closes and fires furious staff for ‘not winning a Michelin star’
STAFF at a fine dining restaurant in a luxurious hotel claim they were sacked after failing to earn Michelin star status.
Workers at the Cameron House Hotel restaurant, located on the banks of Loch Lomond, say they were notified of the restaurant’s closure just two weeks before it shut.
Out of the dozen employees who were made redundant, nine have lodged employment tribunal claims over their “unfair” termination.
The three other workers accepted other jobs elsewhere in the hotel.
Head chef Zach Brotherton told the BBC at the time: “Restaurants do close down but it’s the way this was handled.
“The general manager told us it had been a financial decision and because we hadn’t got a Michelin star.”
The restaurant was named after leading Scots chefs Paul Tamburrini and Martin Wishart, who claim they were told of the plans half an hour before the kitchen and waiting staff.
The five-star hotel, which has hosted the likes of US President Barack Obama and U2 singer Bono, reopened in 2021 following a multi-million-pound restoration project after two people died in a fire in 2017.
A spokesperson for Cameron House previously stated: “The objective of the restaurant was to achieve a Michelin star and to develop a loyal following.
“Unfortunately all key objectives failed and the restaurant has made significant financial losses since opening.”
But an employee who spoke to the Scottish Daily Express said achieving a Michelin star was “never in the employment contracts”.
They added: “That’s not something you could ever require, it’s an ambition but you can’t use it as a condition of employment.”
The handling of the closure has come under criticism by union leaders.
According to the Sunday Mail, staff members made redundant by the hotel were offered the legal minimum redundancy pay.
But union members and employees claim this offer would only cover a few weeks’ wages and is below what they expected.
Bryan Simpson, Unite union lead organiser for hospitality, said: “Their failure to carry out a genuine or meaningful consultation shows they had no intention of carrying out a fair process.
“Their failure to consider any alternatives to redundancy or to redeploy the majority of the team is testament to their complete unwillingness to avoid or mitigate redundancies.”
Cameron House told the Sunday Mail that they were able to offer seven members of the team new positions in the Hotel – out of the seven three accepted.
The hotel later added: “Prior to reaching a final decision, we consulted with all 12 team members and conducted a process of redundancy consultation in line with UK legislative requirements.
“All members who are eligible will receive redundancy payments in line with UK law.”
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