A popular pub in Manchester city centre is giving you the chance to get £1 off a pint of Stella, simply if you say “please”.
It’s all part of the ‘Stella Please’ campaign by Stella Artois and Hospitality Action.
With the festive season fast approaching and Christmas only around the corner, the two brands have joined forces for a new campaign that is calling for politeness towards hospitality workers during this busy period as “manners don’t cost a thing”.
New research among hospitality workers from Stella Artois and YouGov has revealed that 41% of those surveyed are concerned that customers will be ruder this festive season, with 40% reporting that customers’ rude behaviour has got worse since lockdown measures lifted earlier this year, and so, to help tackle these eye-opening findings and encourage respectful behaviour, the campaign has been launched today.
Fiery chef Marco Pierre White has even got himself involved with the campaign too, as having been in the industry for 30 years means he knows a thing or two about the inconsiderate behaviours of Christmas revellers.
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Research has also found that not using essential manners like ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ (78%) is the most common form of discourteous behaviour experienced by the 1,000 hospitality workers who were approached as part of the survey. This is followed by complaining about the cost of services/products (64%), talking on phone whilst interacting with them (49%), with 71% sharing that they have experienced rudeness from customers.
Not only do manners not “cost a thing”, they can even say you a few pennies in a handful of pubs across major UK cities.
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The Bay Horse Tavern in the Northern Quarter is the Manchester’s pub that’s taking part.
The Bay Horse Tavern in the Northern Quarter is the Manchester’s pub that’s taking part in the ‘Stella Please’ campaign / Credit: Facebook (The Bay Horse Tavern) | Stella Artois
Customers simply need to say “Can I have a Stella, please” when placing their order, and in return will receive £1 off their pint – but that’s not all though, as for each pint ordered, a donation by Stella Artois will also be made to Hospitality Action to support hospitality workers during their busiest season in years.
“Christmas can be a difficult time of year for hospitality workers, even more so this year with many preparing for an unpredictable, yet their busiest festive season in years,” said Tim Ovadia – Global Vice President at Stella Artois.
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“We wanted to raise awareness on the pressure the hospitality workers may face this season and our research shows how small acts of kindness from the public really can go a long way for them.”
Customers simply need to say “Can I have a Stella, please” when placing their order, and in return will receive £1 off their pint / Credit: Twitter (@StellaArtois)
UK-based charity Hospitality Action has been helping hospitality staff get back on their feet after a tough 18 months, with the company’s Chief Executive Mark Lewis adding: “Verbal abuse towards hospitality staff is a serious issue and as research indicates, things have unfortunately intensified since the end of lockdown.
“We praise the efforts of Stella Artois and Marco in helping spread awareness of this important issue and getting the nation to show kindness to the hospitality industry during this busy time of year for them.
“Hospitality staff will bend over backwards to ensure you enjoy the festive season, so please show them some kindness in return.”
The Stella Please campaign is the latest initiative from Stella Artois to support the hospitality industry and workers as they continue to get back to work after lockdown, and comes after the brewer also launched Stella Tips when pubs re-opened earlier in the year to give out £500,000 in tips to hospitality staff in UK pubs – with staff offered £1 for each pint of Stella they pulled.
Adventurous cat caught taking a train from Yorkshire to Manchester Airport
Daisy Jackson
Train conductors have reunited an adventurous senior cat with her owners after she was caught taking a train all the way to Manchester Airport.
15-year-old Angel was discovered on board an hour-long TransPennine Express service from West Yorkshire to the airport.
The black-and-white moggy had been strolling along the train making friends with passengers on board, following conductor Will Saunders through the carriages.
It turns out Angel is something of a local legend in Brighouse, and has been caught riding rail replacement buses in the past too, as well as making herself at home in the local pub.
On this occasion, she fancied herself a little holiday and hopped on board the 3.55am service from Brighouse to Manchester Airport.
Will kept a close eye on the gorgeous cat all the way to Manchester Airport, where they settled her into a cardboard box at the station.
Will then took Angel home to Stockport for the night to keep her safe, later discovering a phone number on Angel’s collar.
He and his partner then drove Angel all the way back home to Brighouse.
Will Saunders, conductor at TPE, said: “As a cat lover myself, I couldn’t leave her to fend for herself. She was so calm and confident on the train – it was like she’d done it before!
“I’m just glad we could keep her safe and get her back home. She’s clearly a much-loved cat.”
Andrew McClements, Customer Experience & Transformation Director at TPE, added: “Our teams are used to helping customers reach their destinations, but this was definitely one of our more unusual passengers.
“We’re just glad we could make sure this adventurous feline made it home safely.”
Now back where she belongs, Angel’s tale shows that even the most curious traveller can count on TPE to help them land on their paws.
Mulligans are making butties with the team behind some of the best sandwiches in Manchester
Danny Jones
We feel like we say this almost every time they set up one of these crossovers, but Bada Bing might have just hit it out of the park with their latest collaboration, as they’re teaming up with beloved Irish bar Mulligans to create what could be the sandwich of the century.
In case you’re wondering where we’ll be when this butty becomes available, we’ll be in the legendary Manchester pub, clutching at least three of these while asking the live band to play The Sopranos theme tune in full Celtic reel fashion.
Yes, two of our very favourite places in the city centre are teaming up not just for a one-off special, the Deansgate boozer – widely considered one of the best Irish bars (if not THE best) in Manchester – is actually going to be supplying the crucial ingredient in their limited-time menu item.
Teasing the collab earlier this week, the Bada Bing boys roped in Mulligans owner, Pádraig Brady, to play his role in the announcement that quickly went viral.
Now, in case you weren’t already salivating at the mere thought of it, wait until you hear what concoction they have come up with.
Simply titled ‘Split the B’ (nice), the Bada Bing x Mulligans special edition sandwich features Mulligans’ Guinness-braised short rib, crispy spuds, greens, pickled cabbage and crispy onions. Oh. My. Word…
With punters’ favourite ‘Mullies’ pouring in more than 13,000 pints of the black stuff every single week, it won’t surprise you to learn that those lines have to be cleaned and maintained almost constantly.
It also goes without saying that wasting even a single drop of that liquid gold is a tragedy, so they had the ingenious of using that surplus stout to create a limited supply of slow-roasted, Guinness-flavoured beef fit to grace any authentic Irish stew.
Slap that meat between bread, and what do you get? Perhaps one of the greatest culinary creations we Manchester foodies have ever seen.
Speaking on the collab, Pádraig said: “At Mulligans, we take pride in every pint of Guinness we pour, so when the chance came up to team up with Bada Bing and create something special for Mancs to enjoy beyond the pub, it just made sense. Quality recognises quality.”
“We’ve always admired Mulligans for how they do things – with no shortcuts”, says Sam Gormally, co-founder of Bada Bing.”
He went on to add: “This collab celebrates everything we both love about Manchester hospitality – craft, quality and a bit of heart. It’s a proper Manc sandwich, made with a proper pint.”
In case it wasn’t already blatantly obvious, we cannot wait to try this thing, and since it’s only being served for a few days, we intend to eat as many as possible.
The ‘Split the B’ Mulligans x Bada Bing Guinness Sandwich will be available exclusively at Bada Bing, 125 Oldham St in the Northern Quarter from Thursday, 6 November – and once they’re gone, they’re GONE.
Emily Sergeant -
7th December 2021 
