‘The last 48 hours have been catastrophic’ – Manchester restaurants report a huge spike in cancellations
Restaurants fear another tough Christmas ahead as Omicron concerns rise - with some establishments fearing they may not survive 2022 if cancellations continue
A number of pubs, restaurants and bars in Manchester are reporting a dramatic spike in cancellations as the new Omicron variant raises concern amongst the public.
As news of Christmas party cancellations spread, some Manchester operators say they fear they may not survive into the new year without the large takes that the festive season typically brings.
Manchester’s nighttime economy adviser Sacha Lord told Sky News this morning that the ‘last 48 hours have been catastrophic for the industry’.
“December is the time when people have a good time, you know they can take up to 25% of their annual turnover in December and sadly at the eleventh hour it’s been smashed away from them,” he said.
Responding to a number of cancellation reports coming out of the city’s hospitality sector, Lord laid the blame at the door of Jenny Harries, head of the UK’s Health Security Agency, who on Tuesday advised the government that people should limit their social contact ‘a little bit’ in the run-up to Christmas to ‘help to keep the virus at bay’.
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Sacha Lord. Credit: Darren Robinson Photography
He later added in a statement: “Whilst is it highly important that individuals follow Government guidelines to limit the spread of the new variant, they should not make any rash decisions about cancelling their Christmas plans.”
“If the hospitality sector is not supported and closes in December, it will be the final nail in the coffin for many of our beloved venues. This festive period was supposed to help these businesses reach back to pre-pandemic levels and boost revenues for the first time in months.”
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The government has officially rejected this advice and Prime Minister Boris Johnson has urged people not to cancel their Christmas parties, as has GM Mayor Andy Burnham – but as Lord put it this morning, it seems that ‘bad news spreads a lot quicker than good’.
“It’s yet another blow. A less busy than expected December might be the final straw for a lot of hospitality business,” said Mary Ellen McTague, owner of The Creameries restaurant in Chorlton.
“We’ve had two years of closures, unpredictable business, rising costs etc etc.
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“I honestly don’t know how much more we can take.”
'I think what we would hope is that the consumers listened to the Prime Minister who came out very strongly'@UKHospKate of @UKHofficial on whether Omicron will deal a death blow to the hospitality sector
Following nearly two years of struggles through lockdowns, tier restrictions and closures caused by staff illnesses, many operators have been counting on a good Christmas – not just to help see them through to the next year, but make up for trade lost to date.
Many businesses have installed extra safety procedures – such as PPE for staff, perspex screens, hand sanitiser points and more rigorous cleaning schedules – at their own expense, and there is a hope amongst some that this, combined with ‘green light’ government messaging, will reassure customers to honour their bookings.
Ultimately, though, the sector is now calling on people to at least let restaurants know if they are no longer going to attend – with some advising that people should be prepared to ‘at the very least lose their deposits’ if they pull out of a booking.
“We have had reports from multiple Manchester-based clients that they have seen particularly large bookings start to cancel,” said Abi Dunn of Manchester-based hospitality recruitment consultants Sixty Eight People.
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Credit: Unsplash
“This is very sad actually and I truly hope this is the minority. The message from the operators will be clear – if you feel you have no choice but to cancel, then please let the venue know immediately.
“Customers should expect at the very least to lose their deposits and shouldn’t be questioning this. The industry have spent months preparing for Christmas and for many operators a successful December will be key to survival.”
Elsewhere, City Pub Group chief executive Clive Watson said that some bookings had made the choice to postpone to next year instead of cancelling – a welcome move for hospitality businesses already on the knife edge.
“We’ve had some larger parties call up and not cancel – but postpone until January or February,” he told Sky News.
“But from what we can see, smaller work parties and friends meeting up before Christmas is still fine.”
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Add hotel / venues to that list @Sacha_Lord – at least 50% of our Christmas parties, conferences and groups for December all cancelled this week. Soul destroying.
The cancellations also appear to be having a knock-on effect across wider industries, with local photographers reporting booking cancellations and hoteliers saying that they’ve seen huge conferences, Christmas parties and other groups pull out of bookings too.
“At least 50% of our Christmas parties, conferences and groups for December all cancelled this week. Soul destroying,” said Scott Brown, the Director of Sales for Melia and Innside hotels in Manchester and the north of England.
Speaking at a Downing Street press conference this week, the PM said: “We don’t want people to cancel such events.”
“What we are doing is trying to take a balanced and proportionate approach to the particular risk that seems to be posed by Omicron – certainly is posed by Omicron – focused, in particular, on measures at the border.”
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Speaking to Mail Plus this morning, CEO of UK Hospitality Kate Nicholls said: “I think what we would hope is that […] consumers listened to the Prime Minister who came out very strongly yesterday afternoon, to say that the government measures on booster jabs on testing on masks were efficient and to recognise the investments that hospitality has made in ventilation, caffeine and sanitation.
“So there was no need to cancel Christmas festivities and bookings, and that people could socialise safely.”
Some of the best St. Patrick’s Day deals, offers and specials in Manchester city centre this year
Danny Jones
St Patrick’s Day 2026 is nearly upon us, and we can’t wait to drink a river of Guinness, sing old Irish classics, dance a jig and be generally merry.
It’s a good job we know exactly where to make the most of the festivities then, isn’t it?
The best Paddy’s Day deals and offers around Manchester | 2026
1. Cheap Guinness and brilliant, beefy pies at The Black Friar – Salford
First up on our list this year, the beautiful Black Friar pub and bistro over on the edge of Salford is doing £4.50 Guinness for St. Patrick’s Day 2026 – one of the best prices you’ll find in town these days.
But that’s not all: they’re also doing a special Guinness and Beef Pie special, which you can grab with a pint of the good stuff for £17, plus £15 bottles of wine, as well as beers and cocktails for just a fiver. You can book a table HERE.
2. St Patrick’s Day specials at Hello Oriental – Oxford Road
More of a fun little one-off rather than a deal or discount, per se, but when we saw that even pan-Asian food hall Hello Oriental was getting involved with Paddy’s Day, we couldn’t ignore it.
As well as they’re already viral spice bags, they’re also doing a Black Bean Guinness Noodles dish – available with chicken or completely vegan – and we’ll admit we’re very keen to try it for ourselves.
3. Lots of the black stuff at Black Cat Club – Central
No-nonsense here: £5 pints of black gold, £2.50 shots of Baby Guinness, and a special ‘Frozen Fat Frog’ cocktail, which is basically an alcoholic slushie with Blue WKD, Smirnoff Ice and Orange Bacardi Breezer.
They’ve also got a special Irish-themed food menu for the weekend, too, including Guinness-glazed wings, spice bags, which can be enjoyed with crispy chicken and chip shop curry sauce.
Plus, there are always games to be played. (Credit: The Manc)
4. A big St. Patrick’s Day party on Peter Street – Deansgate
Albert’s Schloss remains one of the best nights in town for all seasons, so it’s no surprise that they’re throwing a smashing St. Patrick’s Day bash every year.
This time around, there’ll be ‘Kunst Kabarat’, Celtic comfort foods like pie, Irish boxty and sticky toffee pudding serving out of the Cook Haus, as well as prizes to be won like free merch, drinks tokens and even £100 off your bill. Tickets are available now.
5. Free entry and MUCH more at O’Malleys – Portland Street
At the other end of the spectrum, you could argue that free entry isn’t anything too spectacular, but it’s becoming increasingly common on Paddy’s Day, and luckily, O’Malleys has lots of other stuff going on too – all the way until 4am.
How about merch, ‘Seflie Guinness’ (with you face on) from their ‘Stoutie’ machine, a happy hour running from 3-6pm on 16, 18 and 20 March, with £6 cocktails, £4 selected beers/ciders, £18 house wine and £5 Guinness available? Oh, and they also do bottomless Guinness brunches, too, so yeah – there’s plenty.
6. Guinness pastries, pies and plenty of pints at O’Connell’s – Oxford Road
It may not be the Thirsty Scholar anymore, but what that does mean is they go extra ham over at O’Connell’s at this time of year nowadays – and they’re bringing back an exclusive fan favourite special as well.
As well as the recent and extremely popular beef and Guinness collab with V. Goode Pies returning for the day, they’ve also teamed up with Half Dozen Other to create a Guinness Pain Suisse – yes, really – which will serve as arguably the best pub snacks in the entire city come 17 March 2026.
7. 50% off special Paddy’s Day cocktails at Slug & Lettuce – Piccadilly (only)
Everyone knows the Slug, it doesn’t need any introduction – BUT, they’ll likely be busy all week around Paddy’s Day and do have a banging offer this year.
They’re doing a Paddy’s Apple and Lemonade made with the brand’s fruity Irish whisky, topped with apple juice and lemonade for half price between 16 March and 12 April, when you download the MiXR app ahead of time. Simple as that.
Now, this is by no means a comprehensive list; we just thought we’d put you on to a few good ones we’ve seen in and around the city.
And, of course, if you spot any good St. Patrick’s Day deals in Manchester, do let us know and drop them in the comments for everyone to make the most of.
We hope you enjoy the celebrations, and please drink responsibly.
Before you leave us, you might as well check out some of our favourite Irish pubs and bars in the area for Paddy’s Day 2026…
Ofcom says tech and social media platforms ‘must enforce’ their minimum age rules
Emily Sergeant
Ofcom has issued an urgent warning, calling on major sites and apps to enforce their minimum age rules with highly-effective age checks.
As it examines continued failings by these services, the online safety regulator says it has this week written to the major sites and apps that young people use the most – including Facebook, Instagram, Roblox, Snapchat, TikTok, and YouTube – requiring them to prove to parents a ‘genuine commitment’ to protecting children online.
Since the UK’s online safety laws came into force last year, Ofcom says it has been investigating nearly a hundred different services.
The regulator has taken enforcement action, secured changes to disrupt the sharing of child sexual abuse material, and seen high-risk services either get in line or block access to the UK altogether, as well as ensuring that millions of daily visits to porn sites now require highly effective age checks.
Major platforms like X (formerly Twitter), Telegram, Discord, and Reddit have also introduced age controls to prevent children accessing adult or harmful content.
Four ‘clear’ demands for further action have been set out by the regulator this week – effective minimum-age policies and reinforcement of these, strict child grooming protections, safer feeds and algorithms for children, and an end to product testing – particularly AI tools – on children.
Ofcom says tech and social media platforms ‘must enforce’ their minimum age rules / Credit: Robin Worrall (via Unsplash)
Ofcom says it has given the aforementioned platforms a deadline of 30 April to report back to it on the action they will take, and then the following month, the regulator will report on how the companies have responded and announce any next steps for regulatory action.
Speaking on the warning issued this week, Dame Melanie Dawes, Ofcom’s Chief Executive, said: “These online services are household names, but they’re failing to put children’s safety at the heart of their products.
“There is a gap between what tech companies promise in private, and what they’re doing publicly to keep children safe on their platforms.
“Without the right protections, like effective age checks, children have been routinely exposed to risks they didn’t choose, on services they can’t realistically avoid. That must now change quickly, or Ofcom will act.”
Georgina Pellant -
2nd December 2021 
