Angry staff owed hundreds in wages following East Z East closure

East Z East, located at the side of King George's Hall in Blackburn town centre, shut after a possession order was placed upon it last week. 

Blackburn with Darwn Council, who own the building, is now seeking to terminate the firm's tenancy of the premises.

The Lancashire Telegraph spoke with two former staff members, who say they are owed hundreds in unpaid wages, have been unable to contact their former managers, and have been left in complete darkness about what is happening with the venue and their jobs.

East Z East (Image: East Z East)

East Z East has been plagued by problems since it was first mooted in 2018 with a family dispute over the use of the brand name followed by a poor food hygiene rating and a relaunch with new owners in 2020.

It is thought that one of the partners in the venture is responsible for the possession order. 

The council had to 'write off’ £124,682.94 in unpaid debts by two companies involved in the venture later that year.

One staff member, Vickie Scarr, said she is owed £220 in wages, and as a result has had to use food banks and borrow from friends to pay her bills.

She said: “We weren’t told anything about what was going on. One minute everything was fine, there were posts going on Facebook saying we were open, and we were taking bookings, and the next minute, the place is locked up.

“I got a text off my manager, Asif, telling us we were going to be opening last Friday (September 9) as we had bookings and everyone would be getting their wages, and we turned up and no one was there. We sat outside for an hour and a half, and no one turned up.

“He’d been giving me and the other girls grief at work for the last week, saying it was quiet, and then on that Friday when we got there, I said to one of my colleagues who was with me, we have been done over here.

East Z East (Image: East Z East)

“I was expecting my wages that day too and I still haven’t been paid. Asif owes me £220.

“I had to go to the back of M&S in Blackburn as they were closing and ask them if they had any leftover food I could take home with me that night as I didn’t have any money to do a shop. Luckily my children are grown up and have moved out but there’s still me and my husband to feed.

“We can’t get in contact with them – we’ve tried everything – phone calls, texts, speaking to the landlord – they’ve just disappeared.

“I can’t afford to lose £220. Eight other staff haven’t been paid either. I have never been in a situation like this before. What they’ve done is deception, it’s unbelievable.

“I’ve had to borrow money as a result, I’m now in debt with my bank as I have direct debits coming out and my Universal Credit isn’t enough to cover it.

“I had to walk to my local takeaway the other night and beg them for a bag of chips for me and my husband to share.

“The best bit is, Asif was always coming into the restaurant wearing £800 trainers, but then telling us things were really quiet so we weren’t allowed any food to take home at the end of the night.

“He’s right royally done us over, there’s just no words.”

Vickie Scarr (Image: Vickie Scarr)

Vickie said she was being paid just £40 for a six-hour shift – £6.66 an hour - far less than the minimum or real living wage, with staff not allowed to take breaks or have anything to eat at the end of their shift – something which is usually common practice in restaurants.

The 43-year-old also believes the managers have been deceitful with customers, claiming they have taken deposits for functions booked in the coming months – money which she doesn’t think will be refunded.

Another staff member, a 20-year-old, who did not wish to be named, is due to move to Manchester to start university next week, and says she is owed £300 from the business, and as a result, has been unable to pay for a deposit on her new student house in the city.

She said: “Last Wednesday and Thursday Asif told us we weren’t opening, which was strange as we always open, and Vickie said to me ‘we have been done over here’.

East Z East (Image: East Z East)

“Then on Friday we said we needed our wages and went to the restaurant and no one was there.

“We usually have to start at 4.30pm and we waited until 6pm, thinking they might be stuck in traffic, but they didn’t turn up.

“They owe me £300 and I needed that for my house deposit.

“I’m lucky, I’m only 20, and have already found another job and can borrow from my parents if I really need to, but for people like Vickie, they have bills and rent to pay.”

Vickie said she and her colleagues have tried numerous times to contact one of the partners in the business, known only as Asif, but have had no luck, with their calls going straight to voicemail or failing to connect altogether.

East Z East (Image: East Z East)

The head chef from East Z East, known to the women as Farooq, and who is also believed to have a stake in the business, has not answered his phone to the women since last week but claims he too has been unpaid.

Vickie went on: “Farooq says he doesn’t know where Asif lives and doesn’t have contact with him and has also not been paid, but I find this hard to believe, as the two of them, Asif and Farooq, travelled from Bradford together every day to get to work, so how can he not know anything?”

The other staff member added: “They have our money, and they’ve taken customers’ money too and it’s not right.”

A notice on the East Z East building says any unauthorised entry to the restaurant is a criminal offence.

On Google, East Z East's website currently says, 'Temporarily Closed', and attempts by the Lancashire Telegraph to contact both Asif, Farooq and the restaurant’s landline have been futile, with calls going straight to voicemail.

However, the Facebook account is still active with a representative posting on the page as recently as September 15 – a week after they closed.

The possession order, placed upon the restaurant last week, is understood to relate to a business and legal dispute between the original partners of the venture and is nothing to do with the council, which owns the building.

The council is now seeking to terminate the current lease and is looking for a new tenant who can make the most of the premises' prime location in the Northgate Conservation area and the £3.8million Blakey Moor Townscape Heritage Project hospitality and cultural quarter.

Blackburn with Darwen Council's Conservative group leader Cllr John Slater said: "This has been a fiasco from start to finish.

"I will be seeking to find out if the council has rent owing or any other financial liabilities from this.

"I told them at the beginning this would all end in tears and it has."

* The owners of EastZeast which runs restaurants in in Manchester, Preston, and Bradford and will open a further branch in Leeds in July have asked us to point out they have no connection with East Z East Blackburn. They are separate companies.