The Royal China restaurant in Baker Street has been fined £360,000 and its licence to sell alcohol revoked after a Home Office raid earlier this year found nine members of staff working illegally. Westminster Council has also banned the restaurant from serving hot food after 11pm and playing music.

The May raid on the well-known dim sum restaurant was the third since 2018; the first two had resulted in fines totalling £110,000

One immigration officer described the venue as “the worst licensed premises” in Westminster, and in its report to the council, the Home Office also detailed the exploitation of staff. “One worker reported that they worked washing dishes 11 hours per day, six days per week and earning £400 a week (around £6 per hour compared to the minimum wage of £11.44 per hour).”

The Royal China group has branches in Canary Wharf, Fulham and Harrow-on-the-Hill as well as the Royal China Club flagship, also in Baker Street. Councillor Maggie Carman asked if any of the others in the group had been investigated, and was told that only the 24-26 Baker Street venue was being looked at.

“It seems quite unusual to me that a business can stump up £470,000 in fines just like that and still carry on as a business? It just doesn’t add up,” she said.

The company did not send a representative to the licensing committee and has made any statements on the issue.