You are here

Home

hospitality

Almost Famous’ no-notice redundancies sparks protest outside Manchester partner restaurant

[see 19 February 2025 Meghan Glover Follow @MM_newsonline] https://www.mancunianmatters.co.uk/news/19022025-almost-famous-no-notice...

A former employee of popular burger chain Almost Famous protested outside a partner restaurant in Manchester after his no-notice redundancy left him without pay for a month.

On January 27, Almost Famous made more than 110 employees redundant across their branches in Manchester, Leeds and Liverpool – with many only finding out about their redundancies via social media.

Outside of the Northern Quarter’s burger spot Super Awesome Deluxe – which is run by the Almost Famous team – members of Solidarity Federation Hospitality Workers’ Union handed out flyers to bring light to the recent struggles of the chain’s redundant workers.

Among them was a former Almost Famous employee who said he was made redundant from his role at the Great Northern restaurant without proper notice, and left without a month’s pay – which he is currently in the process of disputing.

He said: “We got a message from our head chef telling us that we had all been made redundant, with zero notice whatsoever.

“Some people got to the door and thought that they were working as normal, but were told they couldn’t get in because the business was in the process of becoming insolvent.”

Liverpool-based firm D2 has since acquired the keys to Almost Famous’ Manchester Northern Quarter restaurant – but not the Great Northern.

Asked if there was a possibility he may return to work there, the former employee said: “Wouldn’t go back myself as Almost Famous is tainted for me now, but can see why some people would.”

The SF Hospitality Workers’ Union said the inability of Almost Famous to pay its workers came just months after it opened Super Awesome Deluxe restaurant at the end of 2024.

Tony, from SF Hospitality Workers’ Union, said: “They went bankrupt, but they’ve got this [Super Awesome Deluxe] open.

“They knew they were going bankrupt a month before, and they had people working all that month.”

Almost Famous employees have been told to apply via an external company and the Government’s Redundancy Payment Services rather than receiving outstanding wages directly.

The SF Hospitality Workers’ Union has claimed that Almost Famous pooled its resources into Super Awesome Deluxe, and is now urging Almost Famous to ensure workers are paid what they are owed.

Almost Famous and Super Awesome Deluxe were contacted for comment.

Featured image: Manchester Almost Famous protest with SF Hospitality Workers’ Union by Meghan Glover

https://www.mancunianmatters.co.uk/news/19022025-almost-famous-no-notice...

Almost Famous - Unpaid Labour = Theft

On January 27th, over 110 employees at restaurant chain Almost Famous (Manchester, Leeds and Liverpool) were made redundant, tossed aside with zero consultation or notice. The owners were quick to inform the media but some staff only found out via social media.
Redundancy without notice is illegal. The owners of Almost Famous knew at least a fortnight beforehand about the pending insolvency, but kept staff in the dark, and monthly paid staff effectively worked for nothing in January. Rather than getting outstanding wages and holidays, staff were told to apply via an external company and the Government’s Redundancy Payment Services. The owners didn’t even bother to submit the details needed for staff to begin a claim.
They offered empty words about making the decision with “heavy hearts”, but “support” for their “extraordinary” staff amounted only to a few jobs in their new venture. Over 100 redundancies, yet they thought advertising less than a tenth of that was sufficient!
The question remains, what makes a worker “extraordinary” or worthy in the owners’ eyes? Their lack of care or support is repugnant, and empty words and gestures don’t hide the facts. They launched a new burger restaurant, Super Awesome Deluxe, in Manchester’s Northern Quarter in November, yet expect staff to believe they lack funds. They can fund secret raves with rappers at Super Awesome, so they’re capable of paying Famous staff their due. This supports the idea that Almost Famous sites were culled to pool resources into Super Awesome, a reprehensible action.
Solidarity Federation’s Hospitality Workers’ Union strongly condemns these heartless actions and will do all in our power to support staff treated so contemptuously by Almost Famous, applying pressure to the owners of Super Awesome Deluxe until these employees receive all payments owed. If you’ve been affected by the actions of the crooks behind Almost Famous, or want to get involved, please contact us:
SF Hospitality Workers’ Union – sfhwu@riseup.net
Manchester Solidarity Federation – mcrsolfed@gmailcom

Pub Invest Group workers fight back: No redundancies for COVID-19!

A week after the closure of all hospitality business, the workers of Pub Invest Group from Liverpool got bad news.

Due to the COVID-19 crisis, they were not able to give any hours to their workers as they don’t have the resources to cover their staff wages. They did, however, wish best luck to all their workforce and to see them back soon when they open again.

Pub Invest Groups owns some of the most popular night pubs in the central area of Liverpool such as Einsteins, Moloko or McCooley’s. As it is common in the hospitality industry, they show their appreciation for their staff with low-pay and job insecurity.

During the Coronavirus crisis we are having the chance of seen this in many places. Although the Government is offering the coverage of wages through the Job Retention Scheme, some employers just prefer to get rid of people.

Brighton SolFed Campaign Against the Sidewinder Concludes with Management Quitting the Pub

Brighton SolFed recently entered into a public dispute with the Sidewinder to get them to pay compensation for the unfair dismissal of one of their workers. The worker was dismissed for calling in sick once after having worked at the pub for about nine months.

 

The pressure on the Sidewinder has been rising steadily over the passed few weeks as the frequency of our pickets increased. With result! Although the Sidewinder still refuses to pay compensation, they did pay up the unpaid holiday pay, and the management has let us know they have handed in their notice.

 

Standing with workers, scaring the bosses!

A worker organising with Brighton SolFed has recently won a dispute with their North Laine employer, Natulia on Sydney Street.

Proud Cabaret Pays Worker after SolFed Get Involved!

Brighton Proud Cabaret have paid a worker over £1,500 in underpaid back wages after being delivered a demand letter by Brighton SolFed.

The worker had been told that they would be paid at a rate of £8.50 per hour, but was only paid £7.58 per hour until the new minimum wage was introduced in April 2018, when the hourly rate was increased to £7.83. The contract issued to the worker by Proud Cabaret did not contain any information on rates of pay, which of course is a legal requirement.

The worker repeatedly raised this issue to management with no success. Tired of being fobbed off they contacted SolFed and after we delivered a demand letter the bosses decided to pay up!

Brighton hospitality worker gets paid after a single picket

A Brighton hospitality worker supported by SolFed has won a victory against the exploitative conditions prevalent in the local hospitality sector, as a restaurant paid £1,200 in response to pay demands made by the worker.

The public campaign in support of the worker ended after a single picket - and some back-and-forth emailing - with the worker receiving all the money she had asked for.

The worker's demand of £1200 was in relation to outstanding pay. Unusually, the worker had been told she would be paid a set weekly amount, depending on whether she worked 5 or 6 days. Her contract stipulated that she was employed and paid for 32 hours a week. However, since work days usually lasted around 11 hours, in reality she worked close to double what she had been contracted for.

Plenty of bluster: Brighton Solfed unimpressed with legal threats by Cafe Plenty

Cafe Plenty issued legal threats just hours after Brighton Solfed tried to talk to them about £4,400 they owe a former worker. Having made clear they were unwilling to resolve the matter, the cafe's bogus threats triggered a campaign of protest highlighting the plight of the former worker organising with Solfed.

A Solfed member involved in the case explained what happened: “In late November, a couple of us went to hand them a letter about the £4K they owe the former worker. Our approach is always to try to resolve things amicably, by talking to them first and give them a chance to rectify their mistake. Since the owner wasn't there, we just left the letter with a helpful member of staff.

Is Your Cleaning Job Killing You?

Cleaners have a vital role in society, yet their job is poorly paid and routinely dismissed as a job carried out mainly by women to earn a bit of extra cash; cleaning is not generally seen as a particularly physically hard or dangerous job, many people see it as involving a bit of dusting, mopping and hoovering.

Stop abuses in hospitality sector!

Liverpool SolFed is organising a campaign against bad working conditions in the hospitality sector. The hospitality industry, which includes workplaces like pubs, restaurants, hotels, canteens, etc. has an important presence in the city and is well known for abuses and exploitation. Our aim is to get willing workers of the sector together to fight back against abuses and for better conditions.

Pages