Chef terminated after backlash against the restaurant that kept him employed
A restaurant in Christchurch has terminated the employment of its chef who was recently convicted and sentenced for sexually harassing four teenage co-workers.
The director of the restaurant told Radio New Zealand (RNZ) on Wednesday that the chef's employment had been terminated, effective immediately.
"Our business has a strict zero-tolerance policy on harassment or bullying. When the issue was first (and only once) reported in December 2023, [the chef] received a formal warning immediately," the director told RNZ.
The restaurant recently came under fire following reports that it kept the chef employed despite the conviction made against him in court in September.
During sentencing on Tuesday, the judge also criticised the business for keeping the chef employed.
But the restaurant director said that there was miscommunication between him and the chef, who claimed that he could continue working until sentencing.
According to the director, he previously warned the chef that his employment with the restaurant would end if the case went against him.
"He should [have] told me the right thing. If he had told me the right thing I would [have] fired him straight away," the director said as quoted by RNZ.
The director also expressed regret for keeping the chef employed and expressed concern after his team received harassment online.
"We deeply regret the incident and remain committed to the safety of our staff and customers. We are a small community-based business, and recent harassment calls following the article have caused concern," he said as quoted by RNZ.
Chef's conviction
The chef was sentenced to four months' home detention after he was found guilty of seven counts of indecently assaulting four girls who were between 15 and 18 between 2021 and 2024, according to a separate RNZ report.
The girls worked as servers at the restaurant and assisted with food preparation.
According to the court, the chef made flirtatious and improper comments to them, and even asked two of them to get drunk with him despite them being underage.
The teenagers further claimed that the chef would touch them on their backs, thighs, and buttocks, according to the court, as cited in reports.
The judge ruled that the chef was not a good candidate for rehabilitation.
"He needs to come to terms with the fact that his behaviour does amount to sexual harassment - not just the touching, but obviously the way he speaks to young female employees at all is totally unacceptable," the judge said as quoted by RNZ.
