Christchurch’s hospitality scene has once again proven it is truly the Silicon Valley of questionable workplace decisions, after a local restaurant allowed chef Sumeer Thapa to continue working despite allegations of harassing young female staff — a management strategy workplace experts describe as “bold,” “confusing,” and “somehow very on brand.”
According to staff, Thapa’s behaviour included unwanted comments, uncomfortable touching, and the kind of workplace atmosphere normally reserved for educational videos shown during HR onboarding.
But instead of taking decisive action, the restaurant allegedly responded with the hospitality industry’s favourite HR technique:
saying they’ll sort it out later and then… simply not doing that.
Workers were left stunned, customers oblivious, and the hospitality industry quietly nodding like, “Yeah that checks out.”
🍽️ “We’re a Family Here” — The Red Flag You Always Fear
Restaurant management reportedly reassured staff using the time-honoured hospitality phrase:
“We’re a family here.”
A phrase that in any workplace environment translates to:
- We will not fix anything
- You are expected to absorb emotional damage
- Also you’re covering shift tomorrow
One employee said the message “felt less like support and more like being handed a mop after a flood.”
🧾 Fake Internal Memo Leaks Reveal the Strategy
A leaked internal memo — conveniently printed on the back of last week’s specials menu — revealed the restaurant’s decision-making process:
INTERNAL MEMO — CONFIDENTIAL
Issue: Staff reporting harassing behaviour
Recommended Action:
- Do nothing
- Hope problem fixes itself
- Rebrand issue as “communication mismatch”
- Offer staff a free dessert
Additional Notes:
Do not involve HR. We do not technically have HR.
Management proudly denies the memo’s authenticity, except for the parts that were “accurate.”
👀 Eyewitness Accounts: “It Was Like Watching a Slow-Motion Dumpster Fire”
One staff member, who asked to remain anonymous due to fears of retaliation or being moved to dishwashing, said:
“We all thought he’d at least get suspended. But nope. He was back the next day complaining about the sauce being too runny.”
Another said:
“I don’t know what was more shocking — the harassment, or the fact management acted like they’d misplaced the issue behind the fridge.”
🧂 Timeline of Events (Because Chaos Deserves Chronology)
Day 1: Staff report harassment
Day 2: Management says “We’ll look into it”
Day 3: Nothing happens
Day 4: Still nothing
Day 5: Chef continues working
Day 6: Staff contemplate unionising or setting the place on fire (metaphorically)
Day 7: Nothing happens again
Day 8: News article published
Day 9: Management suddenly becomes extremely interested in workplace policy
🔥 Peak Chaos: “We Have Policies… Somewhere?”
After the story went public, the restaurant insisted it did take the complaints seriously, stating:
“We have robust procedures for addressing staff concerns.”
These procedures allegedly include:
- A three-ring binder from 2011
- Half a page of handwritten notes
- A missing stapler
- A promise to “review things”
- A sign on the wall that says Respect Each Other in Comic Sans
When asked why the chef was allowed to continue working during the investigation, management reportedly said:
“We didn’t want to disrupt the dinner service.”
(A phrase known to workplace lawyers as: Exhibit A.)
🛑 Fake Transcript of the HR Meeting That Should’ve Been
Manager: “We’ve received multiple complaints.”
Chef: “Ah.”
Manager: “We need to address them.”
Chef: “Okay.”
Manager: “Anyway, can you get the chicken parm on table 12?”
Chef: “Yeah, sweet.”Meeting concluded.
📉 Hospitality Staff React Nationwide: “Yep, That Tracks.”
Hospitality workers from Auckland to Invercargill responded with universal non-surprise.
One Wellington bartender wrote:
“Every time I report workplace misconduct, management gives me a voucher for garlic bread and tells me to ‘keep smiling.’”
A Southland café worker added:
“The only thing shocking is that someone finally reported something.”
And a Christchurch barista said:
“We’ll probably still go out for staff drinks though. We are weak.”
🧪 The Mentally Exhausted Experts Weigh In
Workplace experts say this situation highlights a “total collapse of basic employer responsibility,” but noted that the combination of hospitality industry exhaustion, razor-thin margins, and a national HR shortage has created what they professionally call:
“A steaming crockpot of workplace chaos.”
They recommend:
- Implementing real HR systems
- Supporting workers
- Not ignoring harassment
- Maybe taking workplace law seriously
- And possibly… just maybe… consequences
But noted most restaurants will not do these things until threatened by lawyers, unions, or a very angry mum posting on Facebook.
🥝 Closing: A Masterclass in Doing the Bare Minimum… Worse
As the restaurant faces scrutiny, staff turnover, and possibly the release of a second humiliating news article, the hospitality industry watches with a mix of disbelief and recognition.
Yet, in classic Kiwi fashion, staff predicted the restaurant will:
- Post a vague apology
- Update their Instagram with a photo of pasta
- Say they’re “moving forward positively”
- Continue operating exactly the same as before
Because if New Zealand hospitality has a slogan, it’s this:
“Everything is fine. Probably.”
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