Steakhouse owners banned for trying to lease luxury cars despite £140,000 debts

The directors behind two Brazilian steakhouse restaurants in North Yorkshire have been disqualified after trying to lease luxury cars while owing thousands to HMRC.

Dale Laverick, 41, and Alessandro Da Silva, 42, tried to use company funds to lease Land Rovers, an Audi and a Lamborghini while they were unable to pay their debts.

The pair were directors of K and L Restaurants, which traded as Caramba Steakhouse on Brook Street in Selby and Stirling Road in York.

By the summer of 2022, the business owed £17,080 to HMRC and debt collectors were appointed to recover £76,788 in outstanding rent and service charges for the York restaurant, which only opened in autumn of 2021, as well as £46,744 in business rates.

However, the pair ignored the financial position their company was in and tried to lease the cars.

They have both been banned as company directors for five years following Insolvency Service investigations.

Laverick and Da Silva returned the Audi and pulled out of the lease for the Lamborghini before receiving the car. However, K and L Restaurants paid out £20,440 in these lease agreements between September and December 2022.

The directors did not seek independent professional advice on K and L Restaurants’ financial state until June 2023. Just two days after receiving the advice, the company stopped trading and went into liquidation the following month.

Rob Clarke, chief investigator at the Insolvency Service, said: “Dale Laverick and Alessandro Da Silva’s actions were utterly unreasonable and unacceptable. While their company owed substantial sums to HMRC and other creditors, including unpaid rent of more than £76,000, they were trying to lease luxury vehicles for themselves.

“The directors knew their company was insolvent but waited more than a year before seeking proper insolvency advice. In that time, they prioritised their own interests over those of the creditors their company owed money to.

“The Insolvency Service will not tolerate directors ignoring their legal obligations and we remain committed to protecting creditors and maintaining a level playing field for responsible businesses.”

Laverick and Da Silva’s decision to continue trading from the end of May 2022 added more than £180,000 to the company’s debts.

They are now banned from being involved in the promotion, formation or management of a company, without the permission of the court.