A small family-run Vietnamese restaurant in Ancoats has hit out at ‘blue tick’ influencers and others after being inundated with requests for free food in exchange for ‘exposure’.
The owners of Manchester restaurant Viet Shack shared an Instagram post where they publicly blasted ‘full & semi blue IG ticks, influencers, public figures and foodies’ for haranguing them and claimed they receive over 50 such messages a week.
The post then went on to call out an especially offensive message from a former Love Islander, who allegedly sent them ‘a follow up with an ☺️ emoji to remind us to re-read the previous DM stating that you came in 8th place’.
Owners barely pulled any punches as they wrote: “Bro, you came in on 11th and even Boohoo blocked yo ass for asking for free skinny jeans + velvet boxers. If that’s you, then we suggest to STOP READING RIGHT NOW!”
They did, however, blur out the blagger’s Instagram handle – but warned they wouldn’t be so kind next time.
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It serves a selection of famous loaded fries, alongside Vietnamese-style steak and fish fusion dishes.
Viet Shack first opened inside Arndale Market in 2015 before opening a restaurant in Ancoats in 2018. / Image; Viet Shack
The post continued: “Here it goes… From what we see, we definitely both do have some things in common. All that Gucci, LV & Prada stock you flex on your page, & some of our ingredients are definitely all from the Vietnamese market, but thats as much in common as we have!
“Please stop asking for “COLLABORATIONS” which was a word widely used by world saving, bare foot or flip flop wearing artists + philanthropists. But is now sadly a synonym used for GIVE ME FREE STUFF via social media.
“We are a small family business, that’s just spent most our savings this year on a new toilet that flushes properly, new chairs + marble tables.
The famous duck ‘quack’ fries at Viet Shack. / Image: Viet Shack
“The old IKEA ones dissolved almost as fast as Lindsay Lohan’s music career (yes, she released an album.. and yes, 1 track was actually decent, and yes that track is on our playlist… and so what? she was good in Mean Girls, and we all know y’all watched it recently on Netflix.)
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“In conclusion, STOP ASKING FOR FREE SH*T and just come help and support ya locals. Can’t you see there’s a crisis and there’s favourite spots closing down due to financial deficiencies?
“The next time anyone sends us one of these requests, we shall not be using the blurring tool so expertly.
“Ps, no offence to all other blue ticks, influencers, public figures, foodies or other Islanders that’s genuinely here just to eat and enjoy Lindsays Lohan’s music. We love you and promise to start buying really good toilet roll soon if we make enough money, instead of the extra vegan toilet rolls that may make you flinch a bit mid wipe.
“PPS, no doubt some are gonna come at us heated and offended…. In our defence, on paragraph 2 – we did say STOP READING NOW!”
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Viet Shack’s fans were quick to pile on in the comments, with one person writing: “Well said, and glad more independents are calling this behaviour out! Piggy backing on someone else’s hard graft is just rude and lazy IMHO … I’m not an influencer, just an ordinary person who enjoys good food and spreads the word like normal folk do. See you soon.”
Another person said: “This is up there with one of the best posts I’ve seen on Instagram! It’s so cringy watching these people expect free products, and more insulting to the rest of us that they honestly think we believe they ‘use’ and ‘love’ these products and brands! Well done for calling this out! Hopefully more will follow.”
A third added: “Amazing! I’m gonna eat here more just because of this post! … and the duck fries! Xx”
Feature image – Viet Shack
Eats
Inside Portfolio, the UK’s first ‘champagne boutique’ and bar in Manchester
Daisy Jackson
A brand-new ‘champagne boutique’ is opening in Manchester this week, boasting more than 250 different champagnes to our city.
Portfolio will be a new bar and ‘immersive wine experience’, which will have one of the largest and most diverse champagne collections in the UK.
Mancs will be able to order champagne by the glass from just £12.50, along with plenty of accessible bottles.
To kick things off, Portfolio will open with a bar food offering that includes Welsh charcuterie, British cheeses and accoutrements, created by co-founder Julian Pizer, formerly of Another Hand and the Edinburgh Castle.
But later down the line, there’ll be a fun, relaxed tasting menu, ranging from a few bites to a full dining experience, obviously paired with the best champagne list in the country.
Inside Portfolio, you’ll be greeted by a striking champagne wall of 100 different bottles, plus a wall of photos from the team’s trips to Champagne in France.
Every drink will be served in exclusive Lehmann glassware imported from Reims, with more than 10 different glass styles and a strict no flutes policy.
There’ll be an open chef’s pass and sommelier station with bar seating, plus a working champagne cellar that will function as a private dining room and event space.
Portfolio champagne boutique opens in Manchester. Credit: The Manc Group
Julian Pizer has created Portfolio with Cameron Foster, founder of Duex Six which specialises in providing exclusive grower champagnes to the UK.
They’ll be joined by Wayne Baxendale as food and beverage director, who has more than 30 years of global wine experience including from Michelin starred restaurants, and Nikolai Kuklenko as general manager, who previously held a role as Head Sommelier at Mana.
Portfolio will be a wine boutique packed with rare grower bottles and vintage prestige cuvées and hopes to ‘strip away the snobbery and make champagne accessible’.
As well as well known names, guests will be able to enjoy rare and highly sought-after cuvées, including Jacques Selosse, Ulysse Collin, Jérôme Prévost, Cédric Bouchard, Larmandier Bernier and Egly Ouriet.
There will also be vintage prestige cuvées from Cristal, Philipponnat, Pommery, Jacquesson, Pierre Peters and Bollinger, some dating back to the 1990s.
As Cameron Foster explains: “We want to strip back the snobbery of Champagne and make it a wine for everyone, whether that’s a quick glass after work, a special celebration, or discovering grower champagne for the first time.”
Portfolio will open on 9 December at 67 Bridge Street, Manchester, with the full restaurant experience launching in February 2026.
Popular American fast food franchise Shake Shack is coming to Manchester
Danny Jones
Greater Manchester is getting another big global franchise as Shake Shack is finally set to make its Northern debut.
With so many good burger joints and a million and one great places to grab a good portion of chips in town alone, they’ll have to hit the ground running to fight off the competition.
The well-known transatlantic multinational is nothing short of massive in the States, vying with the likes of In-N-Out Burger, Five Guys, Carl’s Jr. – also eyeing up multiple UK sites over the next few years – Whataburger and Wendy’s, just to name a rather large handful. Oh yeah, and Maccies, of course.
Yanks will debate until the cows come home (pardon the pun) about which is best, and many believe Shake Shack is right up there, so Manchester foodies have every right to be excited. Consider this a belated Thanksgiving contribution.
The New York-founded company already has multiple locations on this side of the pond, such as several in London, which is where we first sampled it for ourselves.
Other venues include Birmingham, Cambridge, Oxford and Cardiff, as well as one inside Gatwick Airport; as for the brand’s first Manchester branch, Shake Shack UK no. 18 will be coming to the borough of Trafford and one of the biggest shopping destinations in the region.
But what sets this burger and milkshake-driven brand apart from the others?
Well, for starters, you could argue they’re not even most famous for their patties, buns or shakes; the first time we ever heard about Shake Shack was regarding their fries – specifically, the crinkle-cut shape and that very American-style cheese sauce.
They have long proved divisive among the masses, but those who love them go NUTS for the stuff, and you’ll find all manner of fakeaway recipes online of people trying to make their best imitation of the side and sauce, specifically.
Put it this way, Colonel’s gravy on KFC chicken is what cheese sauce is on Shake Shack fries. It may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but fans will stan this scran to no end.
Case and point:
My first time at Shake Shack 👌🏼💚 The cheese fries might be my new hyper fixation 🍟 pic.twitter.com/3HVwAgxRtD
Honestly, you’ll find countless examples of this kind of post on social media…
Richard Franks, Business Director at Shake Shack UK, said: “Manchester’s a city that does things proper; it’s full of heart, graft and great taste. We’re so pumped to be growing Shake Shack across the UK, and to be opening our first Northern Shack at Trafford Centre. We can’t wait to be a part of this city.”
The major mall and North West tourist attraction’s Centre Director, Simon Layton, added: “We’re really excited to welcome Shake Shack’s first Northern restaurant to the Trafford Centre.
“We know our visitors are going to love getting their hands on those iconic ShackBurgers and crinkle-cut fries. It’s a huge moment for the North – and we can’t wait for everyone to experience it with us in 2026.”
Opening in place of the Costa in the Great Hall, the opening of Shake Shack Manchester at the Trafford Centre is scheduled for next March. Exciting times.
Georgina Pellant -
8th March 2023 
