A former chef at Soho House’s Shoreditch club has alleged that the venue sold food past its use-by date by altering product labels to appear fresh. Kamran Khan, who worked as a chef de partie in the Pen Yen kitchen, said he was dismissed from his role after raising concerns about the practice.

Khan, 30, claimed that staff were pressured to change labels on expired food. He stated that despite initially receiving assurances from senior management that his internal complaints would be addressed, the issues persisted daily. According to Khan, he raised the matter informally with numerous supervisors before formally reporting the club to Hackney council on September 17.

Hackney council confirmed that its food safety and environmental health team has launched an investigation following the referral. A council spokesperson stated, “We have received a report about food safety and hygiene at Shoreditch House and have opened an investigation.” Kam Adams, local Labour councillor for Hoxton East and Shoreditch, said he responded promptly by escalating concerns to the council’s enforcement teams but declined further comment due to the ongoing inquiry.

Soho House, a private members’ club with more than 50 locations worldwide and famously the site of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s first date, acknowledged it is conducting an internal review of the allegations but did not provide additional details.

The claims have raised questions regarding food safety and customer transparency at the Shoreditch venue, with investigations now underway to determine the validity of the former employee’s accusations and to assess compliance with health regulations.