Popular Hale restaurant Cibo has been issued with a civil penalty of over £50,000 by the Home Office after immigration officers discovered three illegal workers at the premises.
The Victoria Road restaurant, which is currently closed for a refurbishment, was visited by Immigration Enforcement in June 2024 following intelligence that the business was employing staff without the right to work in the UK.
During the visit, officers encountered three individuals working illegally and in breach of their visa conditions. One worker had overstayed since 2009 despite being formally registered on the company payroll. Two other workers were found to be on visitor visas that did not permit employment.
The Home Office initially issued a Civil Penalty Notice of £120,000 to RSB Restaurant Limited, the company that operates Cibo. This has now been reduced to a reported £56,000 after appeal.
A licensing review conducted by Trafford Council on July 24th 2025 heard that the restaurant's general manager had admitted staff were often allowed to begin working "on trust" before right-to-work checks were completed.
The review also revealed wage violations, with two workers being paid below the National Minimum Wage of £11.44 per hour - one offered £9.00 per hour and another paid £10.41 per hour, both in cash.
The restaurant's premises licence remains active, though the council has imposed strict new conditions. All employees must now provide proof of their right to work before employment begins, be registered with HMRC for tax and National Insurance, and receive wages by bank transfer. The business must maintain employee records for five years.
A spokesperson for Trafford Council said: "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."
Borders Minister Alex Norris said: "We are coming down hard on illegal working across the UK."
We have requested a comment from Cibo, which has been licensed since 2005.
Three years ago the restaurant's future was thrown into doubt when Trafford Council's planning committee refused retrospective planning permission for change of use from retail to restaurant use at the Victoria Road premises. It subsequently had its appeal approved in June 2023.
