Byron Burger has been subjected to the wrath of Twitter since claims emerged the posh grub chain organised a training day for foreign staff who were then deported by United Kingdom border agents.
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UK Immigration officials have arrested and detained 35 employees from Byron Hamburger restaurants across London earlier this month, reports the Evening Standard.
The news has sparked a social media outcry from campaigners and disgruntled customers over the treatment of the workers, with the hashtag #BoycottByron becoming a trending topic.
Meanwhile a press release from Byron has revealed that they will continue to work with immigration officials and aid their “investigations”.
However the burger chain said it was showed “fraudulent personal and right to work documentation” by the employees to get the jobs in the first place.
The Home Office confirmed the burger chain had carried out the correct “right to work” checks on staff members, but employers had given them false or counterfeit documentation.
“London Black Revs and the Malcolm X Movement have taken affirmative action against Byron restaurants chain in response to the Byron restaurants chains despicable actions in the past weeks having entrapped waiters, back of house staff and chefs in collaboration with UK Border Agency”, the two groups said in a joint statement published on Facebook.
The firm added that it was “proud of the diversity” of its restaurant teams, which were “built around people of all backgrounds and all walks of life”.
She added: “Immigration Enforcement officers carried out intelligence-led visits to a number of Byron restaurants across London on 4 July, arresting 35 people for immigration offences”.
Byron has been facing mounting criticism as news continues to unravel over its involvement in a Home Office immigration raid across a number of its restaurants.
Founded in 2007, the upmarket Byron Hamburgers chain has been rapidly expanding and now employs over 1,300 people at 56 branches. Left-wing activists are boycotting the chain in response, in protest at the perceived infringement of workers’ rights.
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The paper alleges that Byron knew what was going on and had helped the Home Office set up the event because “we know we have people working illegally and we called the police”. How this protest will impact on their business remains to be seen.
