The Berwick Street premises in question

SHE was the popular “Godmother of Soho” – a striking lifelong resident and legendary bingo caller – whose death during Covid-19 aged 93 left a gaping hole among a tightly-knit community.

And now the Berwick Street institution named in Violet Trayte’s memory has found itself embroiled in a dispute that could bring about its closure.

Battle lines have been drawn in a dispute that has seen the Soho Society backing the city council’s licensing review despite dozens of residents objecting to it.

Ali Aksu’s Violet’s and the neighbouring Mediterranean restaurant have, according to licensing officers, been operating beyond permitted hours, with unlicensed tables and chairs, CCTV footage not being provided, and failing to serve food alongside alcohol.

But more than 50 strong objections from residents have defended Mr Aksu and his business in emails of support to the committee. One said: “So many establishments are chains or look so alike they may as well be. It is hard to locate individuality, character and heritage. That is not the case with Violet’s you are met with buckets of personality and a family business with years of experience and operating in the community.”

Another objector said: “His customer care, service and quality is second to none. He is a huge asset to London.”

And another said: “Violet’s is the beating heart of Berwick Street. When the doors are open for summer, laughter pours out onto the street and summons in the passers-by. Give Violet’s another chance.”

And another: “I believe Mediterranean Café truly encompasses the essence of what Soho is to me, locally-owned, friendly, with excellent hospitality.”

And another: “Please do everything to keep this wonderful, welcoming institution open so it can be enjoyed by residents and tourists for years to come.”

Violet Trayte ‘out and about’ in Soho

The Soho Society has backed Westminster City Council’s review – which recommends closure – while acknowledging that the owner of the independent business is a “well known figure in Soho who has gained support from many residents”, adding: “We support the review on the grounds that the premises fails to promote the licensing objectives and are seemingly unbothered by any sanctions imposed.”

The licensing officer’s report said the decision to call for a review “had not been taken lightly” and was made as “a last resort”. A report to the licensing committee due January 16 said: “The Westminster Police Licensing Officers confirmed they had visited both Mediterranean Café and Violet’s on June 25 2024 and found numerous breaches of Premises Licence Conditions and evidence the premises were not operating as restaurants in accordance with their Premises Licences.”

Fines have been paid following two magistrates’ court hearings for licensing offences last year.

Police officer Steve Muldoon said there had been “numerous complaints” about gatherings outside the premises and said it was “disappointing that following a previous review it has come to the situation again”.

During a review in 2022 after the pandemic appeared to be broken, several residents wrote in support of the business saying it had been a fixture of the area for more than 30 years.

The Mediterranean Café, run by the same company, has also been called in for a licensing review.

Mr Aksu is expected to make representations to the committee next week.

The Extra’s obituary for Violet, who died in 2020, told how she was particularly fond of Berwick Street where she could famously walk into any bar and never be charged for a drink.

“Violet doesn’t pay” was her catchphrase, said friends who described her as a “no-nonsense person” who was just as at home mixing with top celebrities as “working girls” of Soho.

A bingo caller at the Duck and Rice in Berwick Street, she dressed smartly often with “gorgeous well-groomed silver hair and red nails”, pearls and cashmere top. Every Sunday she would take a roast for the Catholic priest in her Warwick Street church. George Skeggs, aka “Soho George”, had told the Extra: “Violet was probably one of the first people I would have a bit of banter with sitting outside Ali’s Medi restaurant. You could not miss her gorgeous, well-groomed silver hair and red nails.”

On the Violet’s website, the business says, “Under her curation, we’ve made sure to create a cocktail bar she approves of, with the old-school Soho atmosphere that harkens back to the days when she could be found out dancing with American officers in WWII at the Astoria, before heading for late-night salt beef sandwiches.”