Eats

Popular Manchester cafe and bakery Gooey brilliantly responds to ‘2/10’ TikTok review

'Yes, we do have to charge more than Greggs'

Daisy Jackson - 3rd September 2025

Gooey, easily one of Manchester’s busiest bakeries and brunch spots, has clapped back at a negative review on TikTok with a refreshingly honest statement.

The local business shot to fame initially with its chunky, gooey cookies, but has since expanded from its hatch to have its very own cafe, famed for its enormous French toasts and its sandwiches made with baked-in-house Shokupan bread.

Generally, Gooey gets an incredibly good rap, with queues that speak for themselves stretching from its doors down High Street.

But one TikToker has shared a less favourable video review of the business, slamming it as ‘one of the most disappointing food experiences I’ve ever had in my life’.

The reviewer in question specialises in finding places you could eat comfortably as a solo diner, and ranked Gooey an overall 8/10 – but slated the food at a 2/10.

And now Gooey has shared their side of things, defending themselves against the reviewer’s claims that the food is ‘expensive’ and ‘tastes like it could have been made at Greggs’.

“Not everyone is going to like what you do and that is absolutely fair enough,” they wrote in a statement.

Gooey continued: “We’re not usually in the business of responding to negative reviews.

Gooey clapped back at the review that said its sandwiches were 'too expensive' — Gooey clapped back at the review that said its sandwiches were ‘too expensive’

“What has made us respond to this review is how often I’m seeing local businesses like ours targeted on costs.”

The cafe then justified the £10.90 cost for a bacon and egg sandwich, pointing out the bacon is cured in-house and cut thick every day by hand; the bread is also baked in-house daily; even the ketchup and brown sauce are made from scratch.

“With all that said, yes, we do have to charge more than you would pay for a bacon butty at Greggs.

“Listen, I understand this criticism. I used to get a bacon and egg butty before college for £1.95 from my local butty shop.

“We cannot do that here. We are paying Manchester City Centre rent. We employ a team of chefs, bakers, front of house, and more.

“And we are trying to make the best version of a bacon sandwich that we could.”

Popular Manchester cafe and bakery Gooey brilliantly responds to '2/10' TikTok review — Chunky cookies at Gooey

As for the complaints that the French toast is ‘too sweet’, Gooey clapped back: “Yes, our French Toast is sweet. It’s filled with dulce de leche and topped with maple syrup.

“We personally love it and it’s our most popular item but if you don’t like sweet things, you might not like it!”

Finally, in defence of rising prices across the hospitality industry, they signed off with this brilliant piece of insight.

“Every single independent cafe, restaurant and bar across this country is charging more than they would like to be doing for their dishes.

“In 99.99% of cases, this is not greed, or us being thick, or trying to rip people off. It is simply the only way to survive with the costs we are facing.

“Even then, many of us are struggling to make it work.”

Anyone fancy meeting at Gooey for a bacon sandwich later then?

Featured image: The Manc Group