A ‘secret’ takeaway kitchen running from inside a taxpayer-funded asylum hotel has been shut down after the operation was exposed online.
The Home Office has launched a major investigation into Cedar Court Hotel in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, after the pop-up kitchen was revealed.
The site, which houses more than 300 migrants, was also operating as a collection point for Uber Eats and Deliveroo.
However, Government officials last night branded the fast-food operation as ‘wholly unacceptable’ amid claims it could be in breach of the hotel’s lucrative asylum contract, worth millions.
‘Immediate action has been taken to ensure the service is no longer operating at the site and we are in close contact with the provider,’ a Home Office spokesman said.
The operation was exposed in a video on YouTube. The clip, posted by TH101UK – a group of activists who claim to ‘inspect’ hotels for migrants, shows two men walking into Cedar Court’s grounds to investigate its use as a business.
Footage showed a sign on the door of the premises, which is closed to the public, which stated: ‘Uber Eats, Deliveroo Collection Point’. The men were later removed from the site by security officials.
The four-star retreat is run by EC4 Hotel Ltd, which has three other premises and is owned by Monaco-based Nadja Kovic Nassar, 66.
The Home Office has launched a major investigation into Cedar Court Hotel (pictured) in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, after the pop-up kitchen was revealed
Two YouTubers were seen investigating the hotel’s kitchen in a video
The site, which houses more than 300 migrants, also appeared to be operating as a collection point for Uber Eats and Deliveroo
The Home Office spends £5million a day on contracts with Clearsprings, Mears Group and Serco to provide asylum accommodation.
Mears Group now oversees the running of the hotel as part of its nationwide asylum seeker deal with the government – which will see a staggering £2.5billion of taxpayers’ cash being spent over ten years, from 2019 to 2029.
A probe is now underway to see if EC4 breached the terms of its contract with the government by sub-letting its kitchen to fast food businesses Big Boi Burgers and Absurd Stacks.
The two companies – which have since been removed from both Uber Eats and Deliveroo pending an enquiry – have allegedly been running a ‘dark kitchen’ from the hotel.
So-called dark kitchens operate as takeaway-only businesses and don’t run a sit-down meal service like traditional restaurants. In recent years, they have become increasingly popular with the rise of Deliveroo and Uber Eats.
Big Boi Burgers and Absurd Stacks were given licences to operate by Wakefield Council. However, the authority has now launched its own probe amid the row, YorkshireLive reports.
It was suspected migrants based in the hotel may have been illegally operating as delivery drivers for the fast-food takeaway apps.
However, the Home Office said in a statement residents living in the hotel ‘were not involved’ in running the kitchen.
However, Government officials last night branded the fast-food operation as ‘wholly unacceptable’ amid claims it could be in breach of the hotel’s lucrative asylum contract
Pictured are security guards as they escorted the two YouTubers out of the hotel
Pictured is one staff member entering the backdoor of the hotel’s kitchen
Speaking of the kitchen, a spokesman said: ‘This activity is wholly unacceptable,’ adding: ‘We take all allegations of misuse of asylum accommodation and the safety of residents extremely seriously. We will now be investigating.’
In 2023 the Home Office unveiled plans to increase the number of migrants accommodated at the hotel from 148 to 306.
News of the kitchen row at Cedar Court has left local residents outraged.
‘I was shocked to see the Deliveroo sign at the back but not surprised,’ one neighbour told the Sun, adding migrants were being dumped in ‘small rural’ communities ‘without a care’ for the people already living there.
In May, a report into the three companies sharing the £2.5billion migrant hotel deal – Clearsprings, Mears and Serco – found they had made a combined profit of £383million since 2019 after expected cost to run asylum accommodation tripled.
In response to the takeaway kitchen at the migrant hotel, a Deliveroo spokesman said: ‘Virtual brands like Absurd Stacks are fully registered food businesses, offering a delivery-only restaurant service.
‘After being made aware of the potential relationship between the hotel group running the virtual brand and the Home Office, we suspended them from our platform while we investigate further.’
An Uber Eats spokesman added: ‘We have suspended this restaurant’s access to our platform and are fully investigating.’
A spokeswoman for Wakefield Council added: ‘The Home Office is responsible for asylum accommodation and the arrangements with providers.
‘Whilst EC4 Hotels Ltd were compliant with all the processes the council has to follow, we do share the Home Office’s concerns.
‘We will be seeking an urgent meeting to discuss their contractual arrangements with accommodation providers.’
MailOnline has approached Cedar Hotel, EC4 Hotel Ltd and Mears.
