Author Archives: crystal

Irresponsible Landlords Allow Royal India/Dastoor, Known for Wage Theft and Health and Fire Violations, to Stay in Business in Lynnwood

The disgraced restaurant Royal India, which has been hastily rebranded “Dastoor” and claimed to be “under new ownership” by the still-current-owner Aeisha Bhatti, has been kicked out of its Kirkland location for good. However, the Bhatti family and their longtime complicit managers, Alina Florescu and Estera Florescu, continue their thieving business as usual at their longtime Lynnwood location. It is well known that Royal India/Dastoor was recently operating at this location with an ice machine full of toxic black mold and that the business leads the state in wage theft complaints for non-chain restaurants (see Seattle Times article). The landlords allowing this restaurant to stay in business ought to be accountable to the community. 

The building at 7531 196th St SW in Lynnwood is co-owned by Alix Anne McDonough and Carl L, Hossman Jr., and managed by Strickland Real Estate Holdings, LLC (Rex T. Strickland and Thomas Strickland) in Mukilteo. These landlords should be ashamed of helping their tenants run such a shady business, and should follow the example of Royal India’s former Kirkland landlord in kicking their wage-thieving, food-and-fire-safety-regulation-violating asses out.

Workers at Royal India/Dastoor deserve to be paid properly and promptly for their work, and to be treated with respect. On March 25, 2023, members of the Seattle Solidarity Network went to the (former) Kirkland restaurant and delivered a demand to the Bhatti family to pay two former workers, Juan and Pedro, $130 and $1,500 respectively in stolen wages. These demands have not been met. Help us show Aeisha and Mohammad Rashid Bhatti that they cannot continue to steal from their workers and do business in our communities by boycotting the remaining Lynnwood location of Royal India/Dastoor until Juan and Pedro are paid what they are owed.

City Orders Work Stoppage Due to Dangerous Conditions at Royal India Kirkland

Image of Work Stoppage Sign Photos from Royal India Kirkland
Photo of Work Stoppage Signs Posted on Royal India Kirkland’s Doors

On March 7, 2024, the Planning and Building Department of the City of Kirkland forced Royal India’s Kirkland location to close its doors with a stop work notice due to dangerous conditions at the restaurant. The conditions Royal India’s owners, the infamous Bhatti family, have continuously failed to address represent a serious public safety concern. The restaurant failed to bring their hood suppression system into compliance with regulations for fire protection of commercial cooking operations enforced by the City–regulations put in place to keep workers, customers, and neighbors safe. The notice posted at noon on March 7th states that “deadlines were repeatedly extended and details of needs outlined numerous times without compliance. Final deadline was: February 29, 2024.” 

This recklessness the Bhattis displayed with the safety of their workers and customers is more evidence of a pattern of behavior for these crooked business owners. They break laws left and right, with no concern for the impacts of their self-serving and dangerous behavior on others as long as it lines their own pockets. They appear to think that laws do not apply to them (and they usually get away with it–see our previous blog post on how and why!).

In addition to being kept safe from hazardous fire conditions, workers at Royal India restaurants deserve to be paid properly and promptly for their work, and to be treated with respect. On March 25, 2023, members of the Seattle Solidarity Network went to the Kirkland restaurant location and delivered a demand to the Bhatti family to pay two former workers, Juan and Pedro, $130 and $1,500 respectively in stolen wages. These demands have not been met. Help us show Aeisha and Mohammad Rashid Bhatti that they cannot continue to steal from their workers and do business in our communities by boycotting both locations of Royal India Fine Dining & Catering until Juan and Pedro are paid what they are owed.