A TOP Scottish restaurant group with 17 locations has been slammed for “disgraceful” staff lay offs.
Six by Nico, founded by TV chef Nico Simeone, has scrapped its central customer relations team amid “challenging times” for the business.
Six by Nico was founded by Glasgow-born TV chef Nico Simeone[/caption]
It’s understood eight employees have been made redundant out of almost 800 staff.
Olivia McGauley, who worked as a customer relations adviser in Glasgow for the restaurant chain, took to LinkedIn to blast Six Company over the decision.
She said she was responsible for “tens of thousands of customer interactions, handling the diary, bookings, complaints, vouchers and relaying information about the constant operational changes for every Six Company venue”.
The former employee claims the decision to axe staff was driven by increases in the minimum wage and national insurance, but was left stunned when a new luxury supercar appeared at her office car park.
Olivia added: “The entire Six Company (Six By Nico) Customer Relations team has been made redundant following the company’s decision that the department is no longer necessary to the business.
“This was relentless work, and for the entire department to be deemed non-essential in a bid to increase profits is nothing short of disgraceful.
“We were told that this decision was driven by increases in the minimum wage and national insurance, in what are ‘challenging times’, yet just two days ago, a new luxury supercar was delivered to the office car park, directly in view of the (now redundant) department. Truly, a sight for sore eyes during these extremely harrowing times.
“I am grateful for the colleagues I was fortunate enough to meet and the experience gained in this role, especially within the Customer Relations department.
“They have shown nothing but dedication and hard work, even in the most challenging circumstances, sacrificing out weekends and supporting the business through busy festive periods.”
Chef Nico Simeone previously told of the struggles facing the hospitality sector following a “tough” few years.
Writing on YouTube, he said: “The past few years have been particularly tough for businesses, especially in hospitality and the road ahead doesn’t look any easier.
“We’ve made plenty of mistakes along the way, and I know we won’t always get it right in the future either. But one thing I can promise is that we’ll always be authentic, stay true to ourselves, and enjoy the journey — striving for what we believe in and doing our part to shape the future of hospitality for our guests.”
A spokesperson for the Six Company told The Times: “We continually assess the needs of our business and make adjustments when required. Six Company employs 800 people across the UK and Ireland and as part of a broader programme of restructuring we have made 8 staff redundant.
“These changes allow us to decentralise elements of our operations and bring customers closer to us by absorbing customer relations to each restaurant location. It also allows our on-site managers to create stronger relationships with their restaurant communities.
“We remain dedicated to delivering a top-rated experience for our customers and look forward to pushing boundaries in the restaurant industry.”
The Six Company’s portfolio includes Six by Nico, Bamboleo, 111 by Modou, Somewhere by Nico and Sole Club.
