Illegal workers caught red handed at top celeb restaurant

A UK restaurant that is a favourite of celebrities has been handed an £80,000 fine after illegal workers were found in its kitchen. Home Office officials visited Cibo in the village of Hale near Manchester and found three people working against the law. Staff at the venue were from Algeria and Brazil. The eatery, currently closed for renovation, is frequented by Sir Alex Ferguson, Cristiano Ronaldo, Mohammed Salah, and Tyson Fury. Bottles of wine can set customers back as much as £350. Cibo has been handed a warning and new conditions on its licence.

A report to Trafford Council's licensing sub-committee on July 24 stated that immigration officers dropped by at 8pm on Saturday, June 15, and saw a man in a chef's uniform who "attempted to leave the premises along with other members of staff". Checks revealed that he arrived in the UK in 2008 on a family visa, which did not give him a right to work. It expired in March of the following year, according to officials.

Documents added: "Since then he has overstayed his visa and made no attempt to regularise his immigration status.

"At the time of the visit, [the man] had no legal right to live or work in the UK."

The man admitted that he had worked at the restaurant for four years, earning a weekly wage of £600 and reporting to the restaurant's head chef.

But he claimed that he couldn't remember who hired him, adding it was "maybe the owner" and that the only documentation he had provided was a national insurance number.

A second member of staff, with a tea towel tucked into his waistband, attempted to leave the premises out of the back door, officials stated.

Checks purportedly revealed he had entered the UK in March 2024 on a six-month visitor visa which does not permit employment and so he was working "in breach of his visa conditions".

He told enforcement officers it was his first day in the job as a cleaner and that he had been told he would be working five days a week for £9 an hour, paid in cash, according to the report.

The individual claimed he had been offered the job by the sous chef who had not enquired about his immigration status, says the report.

Immigration officials found a third man, who, they say, was washing dishes.

Checks revealed that he entered the UK in December 2023 and was granted leave to enter for 180 days, which "did not give him the right to work in the UK", according to the report.

The man told officials he had been working at the restaurant for four months and that he was paid £1,000 cash-in-hand by the 'restaurant boss', the licensing committee was told.

The man admitted he had not provided any documentation.

A spokesperson for Trafford Council told the MEN: "We were disappointed to hear that this business did not check to make sure employees had the right to work in the UK and failed to pay the correct National Minimum Wage in two instances.

"We thank our counterparts at the Home Office who undertook this investigation to help keep employment standards high in Trafford and make sure businesses are run properly.

"The vast majority of bars and restaurants in the borough adhere to the law and this case shows that anyone who does not can face serious consequences."

The Express has contacted Cibo for comment.