Restaurant On Top Of Stupid Tower (Swansea)

[The Masked Tulip]

Post is running a story today about staff having their wages' cheques bounce. No online link yet I am afraid.

[blues043]

Hey all, a little update for you.

I have quit the restaurant due to obvious reasons, I am owed 2 months wages which add up to over £1000. They gave me a embarrasing £350 cheque which has bounced today. Virtually everybody is in the same situation. I was wrong about Peter Way, he has fed us rubbish and in his eyes everything which has gone wrong is not his fault.

Its such a shame because I loved my job there. We were never properly trained until a new general manager came in who actually made us look like a good restaurant, Valentines weekend went very well, but nothing good lasts forever there. That manager walked out and so have most the staff.

Inland Revenue are now aware that he has been paying no tax and are now investigating him (this tax includes the tax deducted in our wages, he has been keeping all of this himself).

I am livid, no job, no money and might have no house. I have worked so hard there because I really wanted it to work and prove to Swansea that a restaurant like the Penthouse can work. I have been let down every step of the way. Our tips have apparently been stolen, what a suprise!! He is rewening my life and all i need is my money and peace of mind.

I am going down there later. I'm trying to calm myself down because I don't want to make a scene.

[localhero]

Post is running a story today about staff having their wages' cheques bounce. No online link yet I am afraid.

This is the spin put out before the restaurant opened..

http://www.abayoflife.com/en/news/cooking-up-great-city-views/

Mr Way employs more than 1,000 people, and supplies catering staff to Wembley Stadium, White Hart Lane — the home of Tottenham Hotspur football club — and the Emirates, where Arsenal play.

Mr Way's pedigree suggests the restaurant will be top flight.

He said: "I have a multi-million pound company in London in the catering industry, providing staff to hotels and restaurants.I have been in the industry for 20 years and the only thing I haven't done is own my own business outright, in terms of restaurants. But this is going to be the best restaurant in Wales."

He added: "It's going to be a great working environment for the chefs. I believe it is the best view of any kitchen in the UK."

He aims to employ 60 to 70 staff at the up-market restaurant, which will feature a piano and several "top secret" ingredients.

Talk is cheap Mr Way!

[localhero]

Hey all, a little update for you.

I have quit the restaurant due to obvious reasons, I am owed 2 months wages which add up to over £1000. They gave me a embarrasing £350 cheque which has bounced today. Virtually everybody is in the same situation. I was wrong about Peter Way, he has fed us rubbish and in his eyes everything which has gone wrong is not his fault.

Its such a shame because I loved my job there. We were never properly trained until a new general manager came in who actually made us look like a good restaurant, Valentines weekend went very well, but nothing good lasts forever there. That manager walked out and so have most the staff.

Inland Revenue are now aware that he has been paying no tax and are now investigating him (this tax includes the tax deducted in our wages, he has been keeping all of this himself).

I am livid, no job, no money and might have no house. I have worked so hard there because I really wanted it to work and prove to Swansea that a restaurant like the Penthouse can work. I have been let down every step of the way. Our tips have apparently been stolen, what a suprise!! He is rewening my life and all i need is my money and peace of mind.

I am going down there later. I'm trying to calm myself down because I don't want to make a scene.

Hi there blues.

Im very sorry for what has happened to you, especially as you did your best for Peter Way under what can only be described as unfair and unreasonable circumstances.

I hope you get the money you are owed and find a new job with a decent boss very soon. I wish you well.

[blues043]

Hi there blues.

Im very sorry for what has happened to you, especially as you did your best for Peter Way under what can only be described as unfair and unreasonable circumstances.

I hope you get the money you are owed and find a new job with a decent boss very soon. I wish you well.

Cheers localhero! All I can say is you were all right and I wish I had listened to you guys when I had the chance to break all ties. Will try and keep you guys updated.

[The Masked Tulip]

Hey all, a little update for you.

I have quit the restaurant due to obvious reasons, I am owed 2 months wages which add up to over £1000. They gave me a embarrasing £350 cheque which has bounced today. Virtually everybody is in the same situation. I was wrong about Peter Way, he has fed us rubbish and in his eyes everything which has gone wrong is not his fault.

Its such a shame because I loved my job there. We were never properly trained until a new general manager came in who actually made us look like a good restaurant, Valentines weekend went very well, but nothing good lasts forever there. That manager walked out and so have most the staff.

Inland Revenue are now aware that he has been paying no tax and are now investigating him (this tax includes the tax deducted in our wages, he has been keeping all of this himself).

I am livid, no job, no money and might have no house. I have worked so hard there because I really wanted it to work and prove to Swansea that a restaurant like the Penthouse can work. I have been let down every step of the way. Our tips have apparently been stolen, what a suprise!! He is rewening my life and all i need is my money and peace of mind.

I am going down there later. I'm trying to calm myself down because I don't want to make a scene.

Hey blue, sorry to hear of your wages bouncing and how rotten you feel about things.

I don't know your age, and this will probably sound really cr*p to you right now, but in time you will look back on this experience as a really good life learning experience and it will, believe it or not, add to your character.

Most people, I assume you are fairly young, do not learn such lessons until much later in life and then get taken for much more in terms of wealth and health.

What are you going to do about the bounced wages' cheque? How many staff are affected by this and, this may sound an obvious question, but is anyone still working in the restaurant?

Perhaps you should read through this:

What happens if my employer becomes insolvent?

[localhero]

Post is running a story today about staff having their wages' cheques bounce. No online link yet I am afraid.

http://www.thisissouthwales.co.uk/southwalesnews/Swansea-Penthouse-Restaurant-staff-misery-pay-cheques-bounce/article-1867217-detail/article.html

It really is unbelievable what this man comes out with in the way ( yes, Peter Way) of reasons why staff havn't been paid!

Last month it was 'administrative problems' and this month its 'internal fraud'!

Edited February 25, 2010 by localhero

[BurgundyWhite]

http://www.thisissouthwales.co.uk/southwalesnews/Swansea-Penthouse-Restaurant-staff-misery-pay-cheques-bounce/article-1867217-detail/article.html

It really is unbelievable what this man comes out with in the way ( yes, Peter Way) of reasons why staff havn't been paid!

Last month it was 'administrative problems' and this month its 'internal fraud'!

I hear from reliable sources that in the unlikely event of the restaurant remaining open for another month that Martians are planning a heist on wages day in March.....

[swa]

maybe in the long run someone else will come along and make a success of it but have to feel sorry for all the people that have been ripped off and owed money.

the restaurant is a good idea but the owner seems a disaster waiting to happen

[The Masked Tulip]

maybe in the long run someone else will come along and make a success of it but have to feel sorry for all the people that have been ripped off and owed money.

the restaurant is a good idea but the owner seems a disaster waiting to happen

I personally do not see how a restaurant at the top of there can make a profit - I am not a restauranteur but, in simple economic terms, I would have thought that you need a high turn-over or a regular clientele prepared to pay for the view?

Add to that a lack of parking nearby which, I imagine, is bound to put people off IMPO. Also, I don't suspect you would get much passing traffic - you don't mind popping into a restaurant on the road on the off-chance of them having a table but I would feel a tad miffed searching for parking and then getting to the top of that tower only to be told that they have no tables.

IMPO MacDs would have trouble making money in that kind of location but, hey, what do I know.

[BurgundyWhite]

I personally do not see how a restaurant at the top of there can make a profit - I am not a restauranteur but, in simple economic terms, I would have thought that you need a high turn-over or a regular clientele prepared to pay for the view?

Add to that a lack of parking nearby which, I imagine, is bound to put people off IMPO. Also, I don't suspect you would get much passing traffic - you don't mind popping into a restaurant on the road on the off-chance of them having a table but I would feel a tad miffed searching for parking and then getting to the top of that tower only to be told that they have no tables.

IMPO MacDs would have trouble making money in that kind of location but, hey, what do I know.

It actually speaks volumes that a clueless conman managed to secure the restaurant in the first place. I know that other "serious" restauranteurs (and chains such as Pizza Express) looked at its viability and concluded it simply would not work. The developer has a lot to answer for with regard to the design and pure functionality of the top floors and access to and from them. Peter Way's licence precludes people walking in off the street and having a beer in the shoody bar area (or holding area for taxis as he would describe it).

Unless you have a dinner reservation (or resident) you are not, in theory, allowed into the building. I tested this and stood in the foyer while some guys in torn jeans turned up at the door at 10.45pm and asked Albert if they could pop in for a drink...he allowed them in. I told Albert that this was totally against the licence stipulations and he claimed to be unaware of that...and that Peter way had told him to use his discretion. I phoned Peter Way to express my concern and he said it should not be happening although Albert had been told to use his discretion.

I have spoken to him on a number of occasions and he always huffs and he puffs and he bluffs his way through the conversation. I even stopped outside the White Rose in Mumbles one night when I saw him standing there and asked why he wasn't at the restaurant kicking ****? He replied that he had an important meeting in the White Rose but he would be there later. Yeah right! I also spoke to him regarding what he had told me pre-Xmas about taking over the Langland Brasserie...he claimed that they had upped the price and that he wasn't prepared to give them what they wanted. The man is a bare face liar and doesn't actually have a pot to piss in. The tragedy is that through his actions others may not have a pot either.

[Byron]

As others have said, including the original poster who wondered how long the restaurant would last, the idea of a top class eatery on top of a high rise building squeezed into a tiny plot without parking is just not viable. Many of the well heeled potential customers are older people and do not like walking, especially in the town at night.

Even though the critics are not restauranters, they sensed that it just did not seem all that good an idea. Hence the original post.

The developers appear to have been big city boys in their thinking. The original site was really far too small and they have crammed as much as possible in resulting in something that spoils the Swansea sky line.

As the council has already demolished some of their high rise flats in Sketty park, I cannot see any long term future for the Folly Tower. It will gradually sink in quality. Swansea has very few cool young professionals who want city centre living, witness the problems of selling the Copper Quarter. People who have bought the tower flats as an investment will become more desparate for renters and will end up taking just anyone.

My guess is that the restaurant is finished and the developers will convert it into flats.

[localhero]

It actually speaks volumes that a clueless conman managed to secure the restaurant in the first place. I know that other "serious" restauranteurs (and chains such as Pizza Express) looked at its viability and concluded it simply would not work. The developer has a lot to answer for with regard to the design and pure functionality of the top floors and access to and from them. Peter Way's licence precludes people walking in off the street and having a beer in the shoody bar area (or holding area for taxis as he would describe it).

Unless you have a dinner reservation (or resident) you are not, in theory, allowed into the building. I tested this and stood in the foyer while some guys in torn jeans turned up at the door at 10.45pm and asked Albert if they could pop in for a drink...he allowed them in. I told Albert that this was totally against the licence stipulations and he claimed to be unaware of that...and that Peter way had told him to use his discretion. I phoned Peter Way to express my concern and he said it should not be happening although Albert had been told to use his discretion.

I have spoken to him on a number of occasions and he always huffs and he puffs and he bluffs his way through the conversation. I even stopped outside the White Rose in Mumbles one night when I saw him standing there and asked why he wasn't at the restaurant kicking ****? He replied that he had an important meeting in the White Rose but he would be there later. Yeah right! I also spoke to him regarding what he had told me pre-Xmas about taking over the Langland Brasserie...he claimed that they had upped the price and that he wasn't prepared to give them what they wanted. The man is a bare face liar and doesn't actually have a pot to piss in. The tragedy is that through his actions others may not have a pot either.

Having seen the place I suspect that Peter Way wanted a glorified night club up there - most certainly a late bar and drinking venue serving food (burgers and chips - albeit triple fried chips). Can't really believe it was viable to get 300 fine diners. It looks like a cross between an Indian restaurant and China China with a nice view.

He talked about weddings and functions - well how would they manage all that with the limited access and parking?

He has no regard for local residents his staff or customers and regardless of wanting to make the place work - at what cost I ask? He is messing up peoples lives, homes and investments with his bullish incompetence.

If it fails the liquidators might want to try and sell it as a going concern - otherwise I suppose they will try and sell all the fittings and fixtures (thats if anyone wants all that TAT!) leaving a large empty loft space up there.

[BurgundyWhite]

Having seen the place I suspect that Peter Way wanted a glorified night club up there - most certainly a late bar and drinking venue serving food (burgers and chips - albeit triple fried chips). Can't really believe it was viable to get 300 fine diners. It looks like a cross between an Indian restaurant and China China with a nice view.

He talked about weddings and functions - well how would they manage all that with the limited access and parking?

He has no regard for local residents his staff or customers and regardless of wanting to make the place work - at what cost I ask? He is messing up peoples lives, homes and investments with his bullish incompetence.

If it fails the liquidators might want to try and sell it as a going concern - otherwise I suppose they will try and sell all the fittings and fixtures (thats if anyone wants all that TAT!) leaving a large empty loft space up there.

He applied for every licence going! including an Adult entertainment licence and Alcohol to be served from 7am licence. The Council were quite happy to give them all to him but thankfully some residents objected and they were not granted.

Agree with you about fixtures and fitting...they are utter tat. The venue mirrors Mr Way...totally without class and/or style

[localhero]

Unless you have a dinner reservation (or resident) you are not, in theory, allowed into the building. I tested this and stood in the foyer while some guys in torn jeans turned up at the door at 10.45pm and asked Albert if they could pop in for a drink...he allowed them in. I told Albert that this was totally against the licence stipulations and he claimed to be unaware of that...and that Peter way had told him to use his discretion. I phoned Peter Way to express my concern and he said it should not be happening although Albert had been told to use his discretion.

I have spoken to him on a number of occasions and he always huffs and he puffs and he bluffs his way through the conversation. I even stopped outside the White Rose in Mumbles one night when I saw him standing there and asked why he wasn't at the restaurant kicking ****? He replied that he had an important meeting in the White Rose but he would be there later. Yeah right! I also spoke to him regarding what he had told me pre-Xmas about taking over the Langland Brasserie...he claimed that they had upped the price and that he wasn't prepared to give them what they wanted. The man is a bare face liar and doesn't actually have a pot to piss in. The tragedy is that through his actions others may not have a pot either.

More like the owners of the Langland brass didn't want to risk selling to him !

I wonder how long Albert the security will be there... it was funny he missed all those boxes of champagne and thousands of pounds of kitchen equipment being stolen (according to Peter Way in the Evening Post yesterday) from the restaurant. Seems like alot slips past him...

Edited February 26, 2010 by localhero

[swa]

wonder why in the design of this development they didn't put some retail units on the seafront promenade side overlooking the sea.

have some cafes, restaurants, ice cream parlours overlooking the sea and pull in the passing trade of walkers and cyclists along the prom, like a verdi's type place.

[The Masked Tulip]

wonder why in the design of this development they didn't put some retail units on the seafront promenade side overlooking the sea.

have some cafes, restaurants, ice cream parlours overlooking the sea and pull in the passing trade of walkers and cyclists along the prom, like a verdi's type place.

Um, what, you mean have a cafe culture in Swansea? Hmm, competition for Verdis 5 miles away - is that allowed?

[Dave Dribble 2]

wonder why in the design of this development they didn't put some retail units on the seafront promenade side overlooking the sea.

have some cafes, restaurants, ice cream parlours overlooking the sea and pull in the passing trade of walkers and cyclists along the prom, like a verdi's type place.

I'm sure that's exactly what they said they were going to do.

I'm sure I remember, when Meridian Quay was first muted, reading something along those lines in the paper.

I'm sure I remember something about "high class shopping" or "boutiques" - that sort of thing too.

[Byron]

I'm sure that's exactly what they said they were going to do.

I'm sure I remember, when Meridian Quay was first muted, reading something along those lines in the paper.

I'm sure I remember something about "high class shopping" or "boutiques" - that sort of thing too.

These artificial "shopping experiences" never work. Year before last I was in Milford haven Docks which has a host of such 'high class' boutiques etc. I wanted to buy oil for my outboard, finally I went into a shop which had some vaguely nautical theme and asked where was the chandlers. The bored, under employed assistant looked at me baffled and demanded 'What was a Chandlers'

From what I heard, they are going to put a Spar mini market on the bottom floor.

[localhero]

These artificial "shopping experiences" never work. Year before last I was in Milford haven Docks which has a host of such 'high class' boutiques etc. I wanted to buy oil for my outboard, finally I went into a shop which had some vaguely nautical theme and asked where was the chandlers. The bored, under employed assistant looked at me baffled and demanded 'What was a Chandlers'

From what I heard, they are going to put a Spar mini market on the bottom floor.

Indeed. Ive heard that there will be a Spar mini and a wine bar on the ground floor of the block facing the marina, with tables and chairs overlooking the marina.

So some competition for Mr Way. The punters can have a drink and a snack without going all the way up to his restaurant....

The person who started this thread has not commented since - I wonder if they knew something at the outset about Peter Way and his restaurant plans...

Edited February 27, 2010 by localhero

[Snugglybear]

Indeed. Ive heard that there will be a Spar mini and a wiotene bar on the ground floor of the block facing the marina, with tables and chairs overlooking the marina.

So some competition for Mr Way. The punters can have a drink and a snack without going all the way up to his restaurant....

The person who started this thread has not commented since - I wonder if they knew something at the outset about Peter Way and his restaurant plans...

Hello!

No, I didn't know anything about Peter Way in particular. It's just that I've been around for a few years (a few - ha!) and seen a fair bit. I looked at the situation, compared it to things I've seen in the past, and came to an inescapable conclusion.

When they say "plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose", they aren't kidding.

Oh, blow! Have I just wrecked my chances of being considered omniscient?

[The Masked Tulip]

Hello!

No, I didn't know anything about Peter Way in particular. It's just that I've been around for a few years (a few - ha!) and seen a fair bit. I looked at the situation, compared it to things I've seen in the past, and came to an inescapable conclusion.

When they say "plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose", they aren't kidding.

Oh, blow! Have I just wrecked my chances of being considered omniscient?

I was convinced that you were localhero's alter-ego - his evil alter-ego... evil but snuggly.

This is Swansea, this is Wales - if you live long enough you will see all sorts of bizarre things and, in time, they more or less repeat.

Any day now I am expecting to hear that the Assembly has given 100 million to a foreign firm to build a factory making landline telephones!

[Snugglybear]

I was convinced that you were localhero's alter-ego - his evil alter-ego... evil but snuggly.

Evil but snuggly... Like the rabbit in 'Monty Python and the Holy Grail', for instance?

[localhero]

I was convinced that you were localhero's alter-ego - his evil alter-ego... evil but snuggly.

No way! Thats hilarious Lol!

Snuggly appears to have opened up a can of worms with this thread and the worms are still appearing it seems as the story of the Tower Restaurant unfolds into the public domain - I just wondered why someone with a strong enough opinion to start the thread has remained so quiet throughout ....

Edited February 27, 2010 by localhero

[Snugglybear]

Snuggly appears to have opened up a can of worms with this thread and the worms are still appearing it seems as the story of the Tower Restaurant unfolds into the public domain - I just wondered why someone with a strong enough opinion to start the thread has remained so quiet throughout ....

What did I need to say? Links to local media and information from people much closer to the situation than me (too close for their comfort in some cases) were being posted regularly. I was fascinated - though very sorry for the people whose lives were being badly affected. Not surprised, though, having seen very similar things before, which is why I was taking bets in the first place.

By the way, MT, it isn't just Wales I've learned from. The North East of England springs immediately to mind.