A restaurant run by a former winner of Dragons’ Den is the latest to be accredited as a Living Wage employer, with staff being paid above the statutory rate.
Around 50 employees of the Levi Roots Caribbean Smokehouse in east London will receive the voluntary wage of £9.75 an hour, well above the National Living Wage of £7.20.
Living Wage Foundation director Katherine Chapman said: “It is fantastic that Levi Roots are signing up to pay the real Living Wage and showing leadership on tackling low pay in the restaurant sector.”
She added: “They join a growing movement of nearly 3,000 organisations who want to pay more than the legal minimums on pay because they recognise the value their staff add to the organisation, and the difference the real Living Wage makes to people’s lives.
“We hope Levi Roots’ example will encourage many more restaurants to sign up.”
Levi, who won the TV competition in 2007, said: “This forms part of our commitment to become an industry leading employer as we look to grow our brand. As well as our London restaurant we have a number of others in the pipeline.”
