PATTAYA, Thailand – Chonburi police have raided an unlicensed Argentinian steakhouse in North Pattaya, arresting a Slovakian manager and six Myanmar migrant workers who were found operating outside the terms of their work permits. The joint operation, carried out on 4 September near the Dolphin Roundabout, targeted El Gaucho Argentinian Steakhouse following multiple tip-offs alleging unlawful foreign employment and illegal trading, prompting a multi-agency task force to sweep through the community mall premises.

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Acting on orders from the Chonburi Governor, the task force comprised officers from Bang Lamung district administration, the Provincial Employment Office, Immigration and public health inspectors. Inside the premium venue, authorities discovered six Myanmar nationals actively on duty, with four working as kitchen chefs and two serving behind the bar.

A thorough inspection of their documentation revealed that all held work permits strictly registered for general manual labour, meaning their deployment in specialised positions such as chefs and bartenders constituted a direct breach of the statutory terms of their permits and violated regulations designed to protect jobs reserved for Thai nationals.

Authorities have raided a luxury steakhouse in North Pattaya, arresting a Slovakian manager and six Myanmar workers registered as labourers but found working as chefs and bartenders. The unlicensed venue was also cited for severe kitchen hygiene breaches.#Pattaya #Chonburi…

— Thenationthailand (@Thenationth) September 5, 2026

Further investigation uncovered that the establishment was operating without valid municipal licences for food service and food storage. The 40-year-old Slovakian manager, identified only as Tomas, claimed the business was awaiting permit approval, but official databases confirmed that no licence had been granted. Under Thai law, operating an unlicensed food establishment carries a penalty of up to six months’ imprisonment, a fine of up to 50,000 baht, or both.

Public health officials also documented serious sanitation failures in the kitchen area, citing substandard food containers, overflowing rubbish bins and toxic cleaning chemicals stored directly beside food preparation stations. Food samples were seized from the premises for laboratory contamination screening to determine whether any health violations had occurred.

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Authorities detained Tomas alongside the six Myanmar workers and transferred them to Pattaya City Police Station to face formal legal proceedings, as the crackdown underscored ongoing enforcement efforts against unlicensed businesses and illegal foreign labour in the city’s competitive hospitality sector.

-Thailand News (TN)