Dream role alert: a new customer rewards brand is looking to recruit one lucky sod as a tester for their upcoming app and the job description is basically just eat a load of free food and drink around Manchester city centre.
This is one of those ‘I’d do and go to heaven’ opportunities that you simply have to throw your name in the hat for whenever they come up.
Brand new foodie rewards startup, Shuffle, is looking for a fittingly named ‘Taste and Tech Tester’ to put their new app through its paces.
The app is a pretty straightforward but super exciting concept: use it to score randomised rewards ranging anywhere from a minimum of 2% to a whopping 100% off their full bill at some of Manchester’s best dining spots and drinks venues – and you can be in from the ground floor.
Choosing Manchester as the flagship city to debut the new service, Shuffle quite rightly chose us because of our thriving hospitality scene, with the likes of Madre, Medlock Canteen, Trof, Bold Street Coffee and more already on board.
ADVERTISEMENT
The company is committed to investing an initial £2.5 million into the city’s thriving hospitality network during this testing phase ahead of their full launch later this year.
In support of phase one, Shuffle is advertising the dream job of being able to try out the app at all the current and future venues – meaning one very fortunate foodie will be able to eat and drink around Manchester for FREE in exchange for their invaluable feedback.
ADVERTISEMENT
To be in with a chance of winning, candidates must be over 18, live within commuting distance of central Manchester and complete a short application form explaining why they should be Shuffle’s first-ever official tester.
Applicants will be asked to provide examples of how often they eat and drink out, their favourite pub for a fun night with friends, the best bakery for a flaky croissant and a number of other key references. The full job description and application form can be found HERE.
Breakfast at MedlockCocktails at TrofSunday roasts at MadreJust a small sample of what you’ll get to eat. (Credit: The Manc Eats via The Manc Group)
Ollie Purdue, co-founder of Shuffle said: “Our mission is to revolutionise the hospitality game by providing much-needed up-front investment to operators while also rewarding customers for spending at their venues.
ADVERTISEMENT
“Our app offers the excitement of randomised rewards to customers and we can’t wait to launch in Manchester. That’s why we’re on the hunt for someone who loves the city as much as we do, and will provide us with the valuable insight to help Shuffle become the most-used app and go-to investor in the hospitality sector.”
You can apply now for your chance to score the dream job of eating wave after wave of free food and drink in Manchester and be sure to follow the Shuffle rewards app on Instagram for updates, as well download the rewards app for yourself – it’s just common sense at this point.
Best of luck to those going for it but, with all due respect, do know that we’ll resent you forever.
Featured Images — Shuffle (supplied)/The Manc Group
Eats
Iconic ice cream cafe Grandpa Greene’s to ‘completely demolish’ canalside location, revealing big new plans
Daisy Jackson
Grandpa Greene’s fans have just one month left to visit the ice cream company’s iconic canalside cafe, with the team announcing its imminent closure – but not for too long.
The family-run business has huge plans for the site, announcing that it will be ‘completely demolishing’ the Diggle cafe to redevelop it into a new space.
This ice cream brand is one of the North West’s favourite food producers, creating dozens of ice cream flavours to serve from their parlours, as well as indulgent treats like pancakes, afternoon teas, hot chocolates, and milkshakes.
The location that most people think of when they think of Grandpa Greene’s is their spot right on the canal in Diggle, but after more than 20 years, it’s time to give the site some TLC.
Grandpa Greene’s has operated from here since 2005, when Carole Scholes opened an ice cream ‘shed’.
Now, they want to turn it into ‘the ultimate hospitality destination’, with reclaimed Cheshire brickwork, huge windows, and a vaulted roof, making the most of the scenic surrounds.
Rick Scholes, managing director at Grandpa Greene’s Luxury Ice Cream, said: “In 2005, my mum, Carole, opened a small canalside ice cream shed in Diggle after bringing my grandfather’s original family ice cream recipes back to life. None of us could ever have imagined where that journey would lead.
Grandpa Greene’s existing canalside location in Diggle will closeThe family-run business has grand plans for the siteCredit: The Manc Group
“Over the last 21 years, Grandpa Greene’s has grown organically thanks to the incredible support of our customers, our team and the local community. It’s amazing to think that what started as a small canalside ice cream shed will soon become the ultimate hospitality destination.
“This redevelopment represents the biggest investment in the history of our Diggle site and our commitment to securing the future of Grandpa Greene’s for many years to come.
“While we’re preserving everything that has made this place so special, we’re creating a fantastic new space that can be enjoyed all year round including one of the biggest milestones for the site… indoor toilets!
“We close our Diggle site this September to begin this exciting new chapter and look forward to welcoming guests back in December.
“On behalf of my family, thank you to everyone who has supported us over the last 21 years. We can’t wait to welcome you back and share the next chapter of the Grandpa Greene’s story.”
All Brewers Fayre and Beefeater locations across the UK are closing down
Danny Jones
It looks to be the end for not one but two of Britain’s best-known and long-running restaurant franchises, as Brewers Fayre and Beefeaters will be closing down all of their locations.
Dating back to the mid-1970s, there will soon be none left anywhere in the country
The pair of recognisable chains, owned by parent company Whitbread PLC – who also own Premier Inn, hence why they usually come as a joint package – have nearly 200 sites across the UK, but they are already in the process of a wholesale shutdown.
News of the impending closures first began circulating back in April, but now the process is said to be fully underway, with multiple Greater Manchester names on the chopping block.
A real shame all brewers fayres are closing down. As a member they’ve sent me a last free main. So enjoying a mixed grill pic.twitter.com/EIHMZ7LCvv
— Daniel Turner⚽️ 🏟️ 1️⃣1️⃣5️⃣8️⃣ (@puffpuff65) August 4, 2026
With roughly 3,800 staff set to be made unemployed as part of the major restructuring by Whitbread, the job cuts will see approximately 12% of their workforce laid off from a total of around 30,000.
One local duo due to face the music is the soon-to-close Stable Gate in Denton and Wheatlea Park in Wigan – both of which are Brewers Fayre branches.
89 of the brand’s boozers have been given until early September (some dates may vary) to shut up shop and hold not just their last orders, but their final dinner service full stop.
The rest of the venues closing next month are Beefeater pubs, including the Heaton Park one in Crumpsall, The Quay House at Salford Quays, and the Whitgate Inn over Oldham way.
As for others nearby, Macclesfield’s Springwood Park is also set to close.
The older of the two British mainstays is Beefeater, which was founded by Whitbread back in 1974 when they opened their first pub, The Halfway House, down in Enfield.
Brewers debuted up North in ’79, with a maiden watering hole called The Farmers Arms in Preston, before going on to open several locations around Lancashire and eventually nationwide.
Most of you will likely have visited or at the very least passed one of those food and drink spots in your time, and while they may be more associated with hotels and service stations these days, they still served as regular haunts for plenty of people who will no doubt be gutted to see them go.
Speaking of services, another big name is expanding further into the North West.
Danny Jones -
5th August 2024 
