T.A.O. Street Food and Noodle Bar, at Blackwellgate, submitted an application to Darlington Borough Council under the new management of Mr Hsien Hoong Yap.
It comes after the previous owners of the town centre restaurant were told they were not “fit and proper people” to own the business and were accused of people trafficking.
Darlington Borough Council’s licensing committee removed the restaurant’s licence in October 2024 after Durham Constabulary and the Home Office raised serious concerns over the management and treatment of staff following an immigration raid in July 2024.
Benjamin Wu, then owner of TAO, was arrested after officers found people, including a mother and toddler, living in poor conditions above the restaurant.
He denied responsibility for employing the staff at a licensing hearing last year
However, the Home Office argued: “It seems impossible for the licence holder not to know the workers, given they were working at his business and living in the flats above his other business.”
Joanna Henderson, Home Office enforcement officer, said: “Whether by negligence or wilful blindness, there were illegal workers at the premises.
“We don’t want to restrict genuine community services and businesses but we have concerns about these businesses and how they were run. There needs to be a significant remedy to this.”
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TAO has remained open since the hearing but cannot sell alcohol.
In its latest application, the new management vowed to adopt a strict age verification challenge 25 policy, ensure all staff are trained and aware of the licensing law, a register will be kept on-site, and digital CCTV will be installed.
Darlington Borough Council will consider the application in due course.
