A sous chef at Tom Kerridge's Fish and Chips restaurant in Harrods has lost his claim for unfair dismissal after leaving almost £700 worth of seafood to spoil. Giresse Mbala left 10kg of lobster and 150 scallops out in the kitchen for a week without refrigeration during the summer.
The tribunal heard that Mbala, who had worked at Harrods for nearly two decades, would likely have retained his position had he not committed further health and safety violations on Valentine's Day 2024, the restaurant's busiest night. He claimed Harrods had an "agenda" to dismiss him and that the investigating manager acted as a "bully."
Mbala was awarded £4,000 for wrongful dismissal because Harrods failed to provide him with the full notice period to which he was entitled. However, the employment tribunal upheld Harrods' decision to dismiss him, concluding that his actions posed "real risks to public health."
According to the remote tribunal proceedings, Mbala began his career at the Knightsbridge department store in 2005 as a kitchen porter before his promotion to sous chef. Issues first surfaced the morning after Valentine's Day when food safety staff discovered Dover Sole defrosting in its own liquid. Additionally, "poorly vacuum sealed" scallops were found thawing without labels, and lobsters had been left to defrost in the refrigerator, a practice Mbala described as not "unusual."
Mbala stated the kitchen was short-staffed the preceding night, operating with three members instead of the usual five, and that he was the last to leave, with only 30 minutes to close after last orders.
Harrods management contended that these incidents were severe enough to warrant a final written warning, holding Mbala "at least in part responsible" despite his otherwise unblemished record. The warning was issued in August 2024. A month later, further concerns arose when Mbala allegedly allowed orders of monkfish, scallops, and lobster to spoil. The lobster had been left out for a week and the scallops for five days without proper storage.
Mbala was not on shift during the delivery of this seafood but was the senior staff member on subsequent days and was expected to ensure proper storage. Allegations related to these incidents were partly or fully upheld, leading to his dismissal without notice.
Mbala maintained he was the victim of a conspiracy, telling the tribunal that Chef de Cuisine Luke Truelove, who participated in the investigation, behaved like a "bully" and would "shout at me like a young boy" in front of patrons. The tribunal acknowledged Truelove bore some responsibility for failing to log the seafood deliveries but was satisfied that the senior Harrods management conducting the probe genuinely believed Mbala had committed misconduct.
Employment Judge Judith Richter stated in her written decision, "I am satisfied that the misconduct found concerned the handling of food items which do present real risks to public health. I am satisfied that (Harrods) was therefore entitled to treat the breaches as contravention of its behaviour policy and categorise them as misconduct."
The judge expressed sympathy for Mbala, noting he found it "impossible to accept that he was at fault in two sets of incidents which occur within close proximity." Ultimately, the judge concluded, "I am satisfied that the complaint of unfair dismissal is not well founded and must be dismissed."
Tom Kerridge's fish and chips restaurant in Harrods closed permanently in August 2025 after the department store ended its partnerships with several celebrity chefs. The restaurant had previously faced criticism for its pricing, with a plate of fish costing £37 and including as few as eight chips.