There are some businesses that feel so much a part of the fabric of Manchester, it’s hard to imagine the city without them.
But a defiant statement from Happy Seasons, a decades-old family-run restaurant in Chinatown, has said that it’s ‘not sure how businesses like ours will survive in this new world’.
They wrote that is ‘feels like everything is stacked against small businesses’ and said ‘we won’t last another 5-10 years’.
Happy Seasons has been a cornerstone of Chinatown for more than 40 years, famed for its roast meats (proudly hung in the windows) and traditional Cantonese dishes.
Everyone who works in the restaurant has been in the trade for more than 20 years, they wrote, adding ‘it’s all they’ve ever known’.
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Happy Seasons has said that their type of business – where everything is made fresh, from scratch, daily – is ‘slowly fading’.
They wrote: “Younger generations are slowly stepping away from hospitality. The government continues to increase costs on our industry, while bills, rent, and even basic stock keep rising. Sometimes it feels like everything is stacked against small businesses.”
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Roast meats in the windows of Happy SeasonsHappy Seasons has been in Chinatown for more than 40 years
The restaurant added: “We don’t think places like ours will last another decade if things continue the way they are.”
But in their defiant video shared to customers, the Chinese restaurant said: “We’re not going to let that stop us.
“We’re still going to put the hours in. We’re still going to make everything fresh. We’re still not going to cut corners.
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“From our sauces and roasted meats to our soy sauce and sweet and sour sauce, so much of what we serve is made from scratch. The time, effort, and cost that go into these everyday dishes are much higher than they used to be.
“Even though it’s costing us more and more to operate, we’re going to do our best to stick around for as long as we can. Because there may come a day when traditional Chinese food, made the old fashioned way, becomes much harder to find here in the UK.
“So let’s make this one hell of a decade. Thank you for all the support over the years. It truly means the world to us.”
A rosé festival where your ticket includes unlimited wine is returning to Manchester
Lydia Mastrolonardo
A festival dedicated to rosé wine is making a return to Manchester this summer – and your ticket includes unlimited wine.
This year marks the third year of The Beeswing’s Rosé Festival, which has quickly become a staple for all Mancunian wine-lovers.
This outdoor festival will transport you to a French vineyard, with acoustic live music from La Chanteuse, and a setting in amongst the leaft Kampus gardens. Even your four-legged friends are invited to the party.
Head on down to absorb some of that sunshine and get your hands on unlimited glasses of more than 20 different rosés, orange and sparkling wines, sourced from across the world.
Whether you consider yourself a connoisseur or just like the sound of some fizz in the sun, this garden party has plenty of new wines for you to try.
Sit back and relax, chat with suppliers, and if you choose to, you can purchase bottles of some seriously top-notch wines at exclusive reduced rates.
You can expect wines from Raymond Reynolds (Portuguese Wines), Alliance Wines, Hammonds of Knutsford, and Boutinot.
Beeswing in Manchester will host the rosé festival again. Credit: The Manc Group
In the run-up to the festival, The Beeswing are also holding various other opportunities for us to try some delicious wines, including an English Wine Tasting next Sunday.
Wine Tasting with Gusbourne – 28 June – Celebrate English Wine Week at an exclusive tasting experience from 4-6pm, with five Gusbourne wines and some nibbles. Tickets cost £40.
Click HERE to secure your Wine Tasting with Gusbourne tickets.
The Rosé Festival – 4 July – Hosted on the Kampus gardens in Manchester from 12.30pm-3pm. Tickets cost £35 and include unlimited wine and a welcome drink.
Tickets sold out quickly last year and booking in advance is necessary to attend.
Manchester’s tiniest coffee shop has opened in Ancoats serving £2.50 flat whites
Daisy Jackson
A tiny new coffee shop has opened in Ancoats, and it’s already turning heads with a simple mission – making quality coffee affordable again.
7ZZ (pronounced ‘seven zeez’) has quietly launched on Oldham Road in a space no bigger than your arm span.
Owner Joe Stephens is bringing speciality coffee prices back down to earth with flat whites starting from just £2.50 and matcha from only £4.
In a city where a morning coffee can easily set you back more than a fiver, the new independent hopes to bridge the gap between premium coffee shops and budget chains.
The compact café may be easy to miss at first glance, but its menu packs plenty of personality. Alongside classic espresso-based drinks, customers can pick up ceremonial-grade matcha, iced barista-made coffees, and vibrant ube lattes made properly (no purple syrup in sight).
Joe says the idea behind 7ZZ was to create a space where customers don’t have to choose between quality and affordability, with a price list that rivals Greggs.
Adding to the appeal is a selection of pastries from Sticky Fingers, the popular Stockport bakery known for its indulgent sweet treats.
Joe Stephens at 7ZZ in AncoatsIced matcha and ube lattes start at just £47ZZ has Sticky Fingers bakes on the counter
With fresh bakes like croissants and custard buns lining the counter each day, the new opening looks set to become a popular stop for commuters and locals alike.
As Ancoats continues to cement its reputation as one of Manchester’s best neighbourhoods for food and drink, 7ZZ is offering something increasingly rare – speciality coffee that doesn’t come with a speciality price tag.
7ZZ Coffee is now open at 116 Oldham Road, Ancoats, M4 6AG.
Daisy Jackson -
3rd June 2026 
