Bento could have assets seized after new £35k unpaid tax order

Thursday 28 November 2024

A Jersey sushi restaurant whose failure to pay an employee left him suffering anxiety and forced to plunder his limited savings to make ends meet owes nearly £35,000 in unpaid taxes – and could now have its assets seized and sold, Express has learned.

Just weeks after a string of Employment Tribunal cases involving ex-staff, Commercial Street-based Bento was called to the Royal Court by the Treasurer of the States over a failure to make Class 1 Social Security contributions, according to documents obtained by Express.

A total of £25,580,62 was owed for 2023, while £9,139.33 was owed for 2024

However, when the case was heard on 15 November, no one appeared in court on behalf of the restaurant and an order was made in their absence. 

The Royal Court – presided over by the Bailiff, Sir Timothy Le Cocq, assisted by Jurats Steven Austin-Vautier and Paul Le Heuzé – subsequently ruled that the amount would have to be paid back, as well as the Treasurer’s legal fees. They also authorised the defendant’s assets to be seized and sold off.

Pictured: Bento has been a popular fixture of Commercial Street for more than a decade.

The latest judgment piles further financial pressure on Bento – well-known and loved by local foodies as the only island restaurant with an authentic sushi conveyor belt – at a time when questions over its future continue to grow.

Express last week revealed how the Japanese eatery had received a zero-star rating under the island’s Eat Safe scheme in July.

The ranking means Environmental Health inspectors found “a general failure to comply with the Jersey Food Law with major effort required to rectify issues”. The rating is still yet to be updated.

It also recently found itself in the Petty Debts Court over unpaid invoices, wages, and holiday pay, and faced three separate legal disputes with former employees in the past two months alone.

Pictured: The sushi restaurant received a zero-star hygiene rating after an inspection in July this year.

While one of the Employment Tribunal cases was dismissed, the others succeeded.

One involved an employee of five years who was forced to resign over unpaid wages.

Ordering that Bento pay him more than £20,000 in compensation, Tribunal Chair Cyril Whelan explained the “distress” it had caused.

“Christmas is in prospect and he is a family man with a young child,” he said.

"He has had to borrow and to break into his limited savings to meet his obligations. He had suffered illness as a result of the anxiety which the respondent's conduct had caused him."

Pictured: The Employment Tribunal ruled in favour of ex-staff in two out of the three recent cases.

In another case, a kitchen porter/chef of two-and-a-half years who faced persistent late wage payments was awarded £8,528.30. 

Bento attempted to justify the delays by arguing the cashflow problems were caused by the staff member’s conduct – but these claims were rejected by the Tribunal.

Express has contacted Bento but has not received a reply.