An illegal worker has been arrested following an immigration raid on a newly-opened fried chicken restaurant in Norwich.
Immigration officers visited Woolf & Bird, on Exchange Street, on Friday evening as part of an intelligence-led operation.
A 31-year-old man from Mauritius was arrested shortly before 7pm. He was found to have no right to work in the UK and no leave to remain in the UK.
A Home Office spokesman said he has been transferred to immigration detention 'pending removal from the country'.
The restaurant's co-owner, 32-year-old Francis Woolf, said around 20 officers searched the premises while customers were eating inside.
He said the employee was known by one of the managers personally, and that there was 'no reason' to suspect he was in the country illegally.
Mr Woolf added: 'If that is the case we will take measures to ensure that never happens again. Everything we do here is within the boundaries of the law.'
He said he could not comment on whether appropriate checks were taken.
The Home Office said the business, which only opened on March 22, could now face a financial penalty of up to £20,000.
A spokesman said: 'Woolf & Bird may be served with a notice warning that a financial penalty of up to £20,000 per illegal worker arrested will be imposed unless the employer can demonstrate that appropriate right to work document checks were carried out, such as seeing a passport or Home Office document.
Mr Woolf said the restaurant continued to operate 'as normal' following the raid, adding that it would be open again today.
But he said he would be seeking an apology from police and immigration for the way they handled the situation.
'I think their response was outrageous,' he said. 'There were 20 officers in the building looking for one guy who wasn't even working last night.
'We had members of the public in here at the time who were extremely distressed by it all.'
Woolf & Bird began as a pop-up at the Norwich Lanes Fair in 2015.
Last year, Mr Woolf and his business partner Felix Rehberg opened sister restaurant Woolf & Social on the corner of Nelson and West End street,
Their latest venture replaced 7Heaven Burgers and Waffles.
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