CELEBRITY chef Tom Kitchin has been accused of taking thousands of pounds from staff tips for himself and his wife.
A whistleblower claims the Scot, 44, paid himself and partner Michaela up to £700 a month each from gratuities earned by workers at his Edinburgh restaurant Scran & Scallie.
The TV regular is accused of taking the tips over a five year period.
Another director was allegedly allocated a monthly payment of up to £2,000 between 2015 and 2020, The Times reports.
A source slammed the “greedy” practice after “working to the bone” for the extra money from customers.
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The ex-server said: “The tips never added up. I am furious. We were absolutely worked to the bone.
“I was still at university at the time and I was missing lectures to cover shifts for them.”
Documents leaked to The Times by a whistleblower, also show the Kitchin Group’s directors were regularly allocated tip payments servers believed they would receive.
The insider said that the Kitchin Group’s finance director would send a spreadsheet for each of the restaurants to Michaela Kitchin each month.
They added: “Michaela Kitchin would then complete a column for the amount of tips each employee would receive. This would be returned to finance/payroll for processing each month.
“The worst discovery was at the Scran & Scallie. Here around 20 per cent of the tips received would be shared out to directors including Tom Kitchin and Michaela Kitchin themselves.
“This has happened for over five years. I have seen evidence from the end of 2015 where they would receive £350 each — this is compared to a commis chef at £223 who had actually worked in the restaurant.”
It comes after Kitchin suspended two staff members amid allegations of bullying and “toxic workplace” atmospheres at his restaurants.
The shocking claims have emerged after former workers lifted the lid on their alleged experiences of bullying and physical assault.
Asked about the tips claim, a spokesman for the Kitchin Group said that before the company’s operations were restructured last year the allocation of money reflected directors’ “broader responsibilities”.
He added: “[Since then], as key members of the teams working daily in each individual location, the relevant directors will, of course, be allocated a share of credit card tips alongside their colleagues.
“In keeping with this policy, Tom and Michaela do not receive an allocation of tips from the Scran & Scallie, nor from the Bonnie Badger.
“Distribution of tips is done through payroll and all appropriate taxes and national insurance are paid . . . Directors did not receive a share of cash tips.”
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Kitchin, from Edinburgh, became the youngest chef in Scotland to bag a Michelin star in 2006.
He has been a guest judge on BBC One’s Masterchef and appeared on the Great British Menu.
In 2019, his Scran & Scallie eatery in the capital’s posh Stockbridge failed two hygiene checks in March and September.