MOUNT VERNON — When Steve Payne, a local chef, showed up for work earlier this month, he was surprised and shocked to find the front doors padlocked.
Payne was briefly the chef of Ibiza 33 night club and restaurant at 156 Howard St., once known as Uncle Dan’s Playhouse. Ranjit Rai, the owner and operator since the club opened last year, had announced that Himanshu Desai, a chef with experience in restaurants in Wisconsin and Illinois, would be taking over the business.
The club closed briefly and reopened Feb. 7 with Payne as the chef. Payne said he worked for about a week but he, as well as other employees, have not received the full pay for the time they worked.
“I think it’s the same as stealing,” he said. “It’s wrong.”
Desai said he plans to pay the former employees the money they are owed within a few weeks. He added that the terms of the contract for the business were not acceptable to him, and he backed out before finalizing the purchase.
The business remains closed. Rai was unavailable for comment.