Soho House's Shoreditch Club Faces Council Probe Over Food Safety Allegations

A private members' club operated by Soho House in east London is under investigation by its local authority following claims from a former employee about rats and expired food allegedly being served to diners at the venue.

Hackney Council confirmed it has opened a food safety and hygiene investigation into Shoreditch House after receiving a formal report. A council spokesperson said the authority had received a complaint and was now looking into the matter.

The allegations were first brought forward by Kamran Khan, a 30-year-old hospitality worker who was employed at the club on a probationary basis. Khan told BBC News that he was placed under pressure to replace date labels on prepared food that had not sold by the end of the day, and that he regularly encountered rats on the premises.

According to Khan, the venue's cleaning staff were instructed to check daily for rat droppings, suggesting the rodent problem had been ongoing for a considerable period rather than being a recent development.

Khan said he first raised the re-labelling issue informally before submitting a formal complaint with the company in July. Following that complaint, Soho House conducted an internal investigation and informed him on 24 August that there was evidence supporting his claim and that steps were being taken to resolve the problem.

However, Khan alleged that the practice continued despite these assurances, prompting him to escalate the matter to Hackney Council. His employment was terminated in September, roughly two months after he first voiced his concerns.

Soho House has stated that the decision to end his contract was entirely unconnected to his complaints about food labelling. In response to the allegations, a company spokesperson apologised and said the incident was isolated and that re-labelling unsold food does not reflect company policy.

The spokesperson added that an external, independent investigation and audit had been carried out, and emphasised that maintaining the highest standards of food safety for members and guests was of great importance to the organisation.

Khan described being told during a probation meeting that he should continue the practice on his own initiative, warning that a failure to do so would be treated as a performance concern. He said he felt he had no reasonable alternative but to speak up.

"I told them that I don't want to be held personally liable for anyone that gets injured," he said, explaining that he was motivated by the presence of many children and pregnant women among the restaurant's customers.

Under UK law, food served in restaurants must be labelled with key information, including best-before or use-by dates, to protect consumers from the risks associated with consuming spoiled or unsafe products.

The luxury members' club, which is part of a global hospitality group, charges monthly membership fees starting at £291.67, with a reduced rate of £204.17 available to those under 27. Soho House opened its first club in London in 1995 and has since expanded to 46 locations across Europe, North America and Asia, alongside a portfolio of other upmarket hospitality businesses.

The disclosures come as a significant reputational concern for a brand that has built its identity around exclusivity and high-end service, and which maintains a high-profile following among celebrities. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are among those reported to have had their first date at one of the company's London venues.

Soho House listed on the New York Stock Exchange in 2021, but its share price fell sharply in subsequent years as the business struggled to deliver a profit and faced criticism that it was losing the sense of exclusivity that had long underpinned its appeal.

The company was acquired last year by a consortium of investors in a deal valued at approximately £2bn, after which actor Ashton Kutcher joined its board. That ownership change came amid ongoing efforts to stabilise the business and restore investor confidence.

Calls for tighter enforcement of hygiene rules in hospitality settings have grown in recent years, with food safety regulators urging operators to maintain rigorous labelling and pest-control practices. The involvement of a local authority in this case means the matter now sits within a formal regulatory process rather than being handled solely as an internal staffing dispute.

Food safety investigations by councils can result in a range of outcomes, from requirements for corrective action and reinspection to formal enforcement notices or, in more serious cases, prosecution. Any findings would be published through the relevant authority's processes.

Soho House has not commented on the claim regarding rats at the Shoreditch venue, which remains one of 10 company sites in London. The council's investigation is ongoing, and no conclusions have been announced.

For now, the case highlights the tension between commercial pressures in the restaurant industry and the legal obligations operators owe to their customers, as well as the risks faced by employees who report concerns about practices they believe could endanger public health.