Management at the New Brighton venue said the “situation has now escalated beyond what we feel is acceptable”
Queens Royal, New Brighton. (Image: Copyright Unknown)
A dispute has erupted between two businesses over a Merseyside venue, with one side claiming it is owed hundreds of thousands of pounds. New Brighton’s The Queen’s Royal closed unexpectedly in 2019 and remained shut for six years before being refurbished and reopening in 2025 under the management of Nicholas Demetrios, who also runs the Wirral venues Nyx, Onyx and The Little Gem.
While Nicholas oversaw the venue’s operations, the kitchen was run by James McGregor’s Fusion Catering under what he says was a rental agreement which meant he took charge of the food offering.
He claims the arrangement continued until Tuesday, March 10, when The Queen’s Royal said it carried out an internal investigation into the kitchen facilities operated by Fusion Catering and concluded that standards were “not adequate”.
Following the investigation, The Queen’s Royal said it had terminated its agreement with the company with immediate effect.
However, James, a 34-year-old dad from the Wirral, said this wasn’t the case at all and claims he was pushed out of the site ahead of Mother’s Day, “one of the busiest weekends of the year” for his staff to make money.
James said in light of the contract being terminated, and due to alleged other unpaid bills from The Queen’s Royal, he has been unable to pay his own staff. James said his team is made up of seven staff members.
Chef James McGregor from Fusion Catering & Events together
Management at the New Brighton venue insisted any staff claiming unpaid wages were not employed directly by the business, but by the third-party catering company.
A spokesperson from The Queen’s Royal said: “Over the past few days a number of comments and accusations have been made online regarding our business. Unfortunately, the situation has now escalated beyond what we feel is acceptable.
“Earlier this week we conducted an internal investigation into the kitchen facilities operating within The Queen’s Royal. Following this review, we determined that the standards being maintained were not adequate and did not meet the level we expect for our venue.
“The kitchen had been rented and operated independently by Fusion Catering, who were responsible for their own staff, food preparation and kitchen management. Due to the findings of our investigation, we made the decision to terminate our agreement with Fusion Catering with immediate effect on Tuesday.
“The agreement between The Queen’s Royal and Fusion Catering has now been terminated. As this matter involves a separate business and ongoing discussions regarding the termination of that agreement, we are unable to comment further on the financial arrangements between the two parties.
“We would like to make it absolutely clear that any individuals claiming unpaid wages were not employees of The Queen’s Royal. All staff directly employed by The Queen’s Royal have been and will continue to be paid in full and on time.
“As Fusion Catering operated as an independent company running the kitchen, they are solely responsible for the employment and payment of their own staff. Unfortunately, we are not able to comment on matters relating to their employees or their internal business arrangements.
The Queen’s Royal,New Brighton.(Image: Andrew Teebay Liverpool Echo)
“Since Tuesday we have been working quickly to resolve the situation by appointing a new Head Chef and bringing in a professional cleaning team to ensure our kitchen and service meet the high standards we expect for our customers.
“We are pleased to confirm that food service will resume as normal from Saturday for private functions, and we look forward to welcoming guests for Mother’s Day.
“We never wanted this situation to arise, but our customers and our staff will always come first. The decision was made to protect the standards of our venue and the experience we provide.
“Not everything you see online is a true reflection of a situation. We appreciate the continued support from our community and look forward to showing you exactly what The Queen’s Royal stands for when you visit us.”
James claims in total he is owed £150,000 and he said his team was expected to make another £25,000 during the Mother’s Day rush. James told the ECHO Nicholas and him have previously been in business together. He said the two ran The Master Mariner, the former Wetherspoons venue, just a few doors down from The Queen’s Royal.
James said: “Fusion Catering and Events Limited has noted the statement issued by The Queen’s Royal concerning the recent situation involving the kitchen operation at the premises and wishes to clarify its position.
“The company does not accept that the statement accurately reflects the commercial arrangements that were in place and will address those matters through the appropriate formal channels.
“The kitchen operation was conducted under a separate arrangement in which QRH Holdings Ltd held the operational licence, while Fusion Catering and Events Limited operated under a sub-licence and supplied the commercial kitchen equipment and food stock used within the premises.
“Fusion Catering and Events Limited notes that the premises itself has previously described the kitchen as having been operated independently by Fusion Catering, which reflects the separate commercial structure under which the kitchen was being run.
“Fusion Catering and Events Limited confirms that substantial commercial kitchen equipment and stock belonging to the company remain inside the premises and continue to be the property of Fusion Catering and Events Limited. Access to recover those items has been refused.
“The company also notes that payments due for services already performed were withheld immediately prior to staff payroll falling due. That sequence of events forms part of the context surrounding the current dispute.
“As this is an ongoing commercial dispute between separate businesses, it would not be appropriate to comment further at this stage. Fusion Catering and Events Limited will address the matter through the appropriate formal channels and will set out its full position in due course.”