Windsor restaurant could lose licence over illegal workers investigation

A restaurant in Windsor could have its licence suspended or revoked after a Home Office immigration enforcement investigation was carried out on site.

Plate at No. 6 in Market Street is a a Mediterranean and tapas restaurant.

In February 2025, Home Office Immigration Enforcement officers visited the restaurant after they had received intelligence the business was employing illegal workers.

Three individuals were identified as not having the right to work in the UK during the visit.

When interviewed by officers, one of the employees said he was only paid in cash by his employer. Income tax and national insurance were also ‘likely’ not paid, according to the Home Office’s report.

The report said: “Employing them [the three workers] not only facilitated their continued breach of immigration laws by overstaying, but it also undermined the licensing objectives.

“Whether by negligence or wilful blindness, illegal workers were engaged in activity on the premises, yet it is a simple process for an employer to ascertain what documents they should check before a person can work.”

During the visit, officers also saw one of the workers confronting his employer, Zhengmao Cheng, about not being paid for a five-week period.

The employee claimed he was owed £2,175, but pay slips were missing, so this could not be checked by the enforcement officers.

Mr Cheng is the designated premises licence holder and designated premises supervisor (DPS) of the restaurant.

In the Royal Borough, the four licensing objectives are: preventing crime and disorder and public safety, preventing public nuisance, and protecting children from harm.

Immigration officers had ‘grounds to believe’ that Mr Cheng failed to prevent crime and disorder by employing illegal workers.

But in his interview with enforcement officers, the owner said he was ‘confident’ that right-to-work checks were carried out by the HR team. He added that he paid all of his employees via bank transfers.

The Home Office’s report said that employing illegal workers gives an ‘unfair competitive edge’ to some businesses, whilst depriving the UK economy of tax revenue.

It added: “Employing individuals without contracts, pay slips, or verifying their right to work in the UK leaves workers vulnerable to exploitation and without legal recourse to pursue wage claims.”

A £135,000 civil penalty was issued to the restaurant, but no payment has yet been made.