Soho House launches investigation after out-of-date food mislabelled in kitchen

The Soho House private members’ club has launched an investigation after out-of-date food was mislabelled in one of its kitchens.

The club, which charges up to £4,500 a year for membership, has apologised after a former employee made a video on TikTok exposing the issue.

“Two days ago I was fired from Soho House, the one at Shoreditch,” the unnamed employee claimed on an account named “Soho House Opp”. “I was fired after I complained about people changing labels and selling out-of-date food to customers.”

A Soho House spokesperson said the employee’s contract was terminated for reasons unrelated to his complaint.

The club chain is popular with celebrities, with Kate Moss, Kendall Jenner and Ellie Goulding among those spotted in its venues. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Harry and Meghan, met on a blind date in 2016 at its 76 Dean Street house in London, and Meghan has been seen drinking coffee at its Cotswolds location, Soho Farmhouse, since her move to London.

A Hackney council spokesperson said it had received, and was reviewing, a health and safety complaint relating to Shoreditch House, one of the club’s 10 London locations.

The spokesperson said: “We have received a report about food safety and hygiene at Shoreditch House and have opened an investigation.”

The employee claimed he had been “pressured” to change labels to mask out-of-date food. He said he had first made an internal complaint and then, when he did not feel sufficient action was taken, submitted a complaint to the council. He says that shortly after this, he was fired.

It is illegal to sell food past its “use-by” date, but food can be sold after its “best before” date as long as it is of acceptable quality. Restaurants and other commercial kitchens have a strict legal duty to ensure all food served to customers is safe and fit for human consumption.

A Soho House spokesperson apologised for the mislabelling incident, and said it was an isolated occurrence but that they had launched an investigation.

They added: “We’re really sorry that this isolated food labelling incident took place at one of our kitchens. This is not how we expect our Houses to operate and it is not company policy. We have taken immediate action, including our director of health and safety together with an external independent consultant conducting an investigation as a matter of priority.”

The spokesperson said the location takes food hygiene seriously, adding: “Delivering the highest level of food safety for our members and guests is incredibly important to us. Shoreditch House has consistently achieved the highest food hygiene rating score of 5 from environmental health inspections – including the most recent in March this year – and also performed strongly in an independent and unannounced external audit last week.”

Soho House was founded in 1995 with a single club in the central London area from which it takes its name. It has 10 locations in London, and 48 that are either open or planned around the world, ranging from Paris and Istanbul to Bangkok and Mumbai. It has four clubs in Los Angeles and three in New York.

The club chain has had some financial issues in recent years, with members complaining it is no longer as exclusive as it used to be. The owners have attempted to turn its fortunes around by opening a more “exclusive” location in Mayfair and launching mini two-sip cocktails, as well as IV drips, to attract younger members.