JERSEY’s only conveyor belt sushi restaurant has gone into liquidation following months of financial and legal difficulties, it has emerged.
The closure follows a string of setbacks for the Commercial Street eatery, including an unpaid tax bill totalling nearly £35,000, and two Employment Tribunal rulings in favour of former staff members.
In November, no one appeared in The Royal Court on behalf of the restaurant in relation to the unpaid Social Security contributions.
The Court heard that £25,580.62 was owed for 2023, while £9,139.33 was owed for 2024.
As a result, the Court ordered that the debt be repaid and authorised the seizure and sale of the restaurant’s assets.
Just weeks before, Bento faced criticism in the Employment Tribunal over its treatment of staff.
One employee, who had worked at the restaurant for five years, was awarded more than £20,000 in compensation after he resigned due to not being paid, which left him suffering anxiety and forced him to plunder his limited savings to make ends meet.
Another staff member, who worked as a kitchen porter and chef for two and a half years, was awarded £8,528.30 for persistent late wage payments.
The business was also taken to the Petty Debts Court in November over unpaid invoices to a local self-storage company.
The restaurant’s hygiene standards also came under fire last summer when it received a zero-star rating under Jersey’s Eat Safe scheme.
The decision set out in the Gazette was made at a creditors’ meeting on 28 April, with joint liquidators appointed to recover debts.
The notice instructs all debtors to pay what they owe within 21 days and calls on creditors to submit detailed claims within 60 days.
