12°C | Cafe worker wins £20k after bosses insisted door was kept open despite complaints about the cold

A worker formerly employed by a cheesecake cafe has won over £20,000 in an employment tribunal, after bosses insisted on keeping the door open despite the cold.

The shop assistant, Leila Ayad, successfully sued Whipped – a London-based establishment which closed in June 2025 – for unfair dismissal after she was fired following her complaints about the temperature.

In response to her warnings that the cold was making it “difficult to work,” managers at the cafe said the door needed to be kept open to protect footfall.

The worker gradually had her hours reduced following the complaints, the tribunal heard, before she was sacked because of her “attitude towards the role.”