Tang restaurant reveals waitrons' wages, claps back at government raid

The Tang restaurant group says it fully complies with the law on its employment practices.

This as the labour and home affairs departments raided Gauteng restaurants this week, including Tang Sandton.

“Tang Hospitality is a law-abiding employer fully compliant with South African labour laws and practices,” the group said in a statement.

As part of its recruitment process, the group said it required applicants to submit essential documents, including proof of a bank account, a certified copy of their South African identity document and a tax number. Non-SA citizens are required to produce a valid certified copy of a work permit, passport and/or asylum papers.

“We verify all information provided by prospective employees during the recruitment process, including skills, qualifications, legal status and work experience. We actively engage with the department of employment and labour, which conducts regular inspections of our operations.”

Of the four workers at its Sandton premises who were alleged to be undocumented, the group said: “One has since presented his legal work permit, while the other three were in the process of renewing their expired permits, which were valid during their hiring.”

The group, which has more than 300 employees in Johannesburg and Cape Town, said its waitstaff operate on a commission structure compliant with Bargaining Council rates. This means the commission may not be less than the minimum wage.

“We are extremely proud that our waitrons are some of the highest paid in the industry, with the average waitron having earned R21,971 in June, R20,123 in July and R21,805 in August 2024 — and some individuals earning up to R60,000 per month in commission and tips.”

Tang CEO and founder Nicky van der Walt said the group is preparing to open its third restaurant in Dubai and is hiring, with details to come on its social media channels.

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