Across the world, one app has been uniting strangers in 235 cities, matching six lucky diners for an evening meal at a surprise restaurant table and now Manchester is the latest city to open its taste buds to this pseudo-Come Dine With Me concept. Only this one involves less cooking.
Guests are expected to partake in an evening of food, booze and plenty of interesting conversations between six total strangers, only with hopefully less drama than the hit Channel 4 show. Strictly no Jane’s spoiling anything…
The concept is being pushed by French entrepreneur Maxime Barbier and his company ‘TimeLeft’. He has a lengthy career in the nightlife industry behind him and now wants to further strengthen good food and good times via this app.
And it’s clearly working: according to the company’s official website, 96% of dining groups consider themselves compatible meaning their carefully selected pairings are pretty accurate.
All curious diners have to do is download Timeleft and take a personality test before they’re whisked away for a night of entertainment and lush catering picked out by the pioneering new app.
Fear not, there will be a ‘Break the ice’ game where you can get to know the like-minded and compatible strangers you’re spending the rest of the evening with.
Once the table fills up and the evening is well away, everyone round the table will receive a notification to continue the night at a nearby bar chosen once again by this new dining concept app.
ADVERTISEMENT
This new mealtime experience is a really good way of making connections, especially for newcomers to the city who are looking to expand their friendship group and navigate Manchester with some similar fresh-faced companions. There’s crucially much less cooking involved too, by which we mean none.
Throughout their website, the company shares a range of blogs breaking down everything from ‘6 tips for smoothing over a heated conversation’ to ‘the ultimate guide to Timeleft’.
In a standout piece entitled, ‘The 10 types of strangers at your table‘, they discuss the different types of personalities that you may come across during your meal.
From the simpler and recognisable labels like the introvert and extrovert to the more complex like the contemplative and the humourist, these little excerpts are handy to anyone who may have any nerves ahead of the meeting.
So, anyone located in Greater Manchester who might be interested in this new dining concept can participate by downloading the TimeLeft app and seeing where the night takes them.
You might not go home with £1,000 in cash but you’ll certainly create some memories and come pretty close to living out your Come Dine With Me fantasy – there really is an app for everything.
Manchester dessert hatch receives two-star review for ‘smiling too much’
Daisy Jackson
A dessert hatch in Manchester city centre has spoken out after receiving a two-star review – in which the main criticism was that they ‘smiled too much’.
Layr, a tiny tiramisu spot in Ancoats, has publicly addressed the review, which said the staff’s friendliness was ‘almost creepy’.
The reviewer wrote: “Came today, had alright tiramisu but the staff were smiling too much it was almost creepy. Also felt interrogated, just wanted to get my tiramisu and leave, don’t think ill be back.”
Layr – which was also the victim of ‘hostile hate messages’ earlier this year – has now shared a response to the new two-star review.
They’ve said that while they will always take feedback on board, they refuse to change ‘the warmth & smiles you’re greeted with’.
Layr posted: “We absolutely recognise, and know that every customer experience matters. We never want anyone to feel uncomfortable visiting us, and always take every bit of feedback on board.
“Smiling is just who we are. Layr was built to feel warm, welcoming, and to be a memorable part of your day, week or month. We all need that little pick-me-up no matter what.
“Our amazing team all work incredibly hard, GENUINELY enjoy meeting so many of you and hearing about your day.
“If being too friendly gets us two stars, we can live with that.
“We’ll always choose warmth, no matter what. Great tiramisu matters, so does good people and amazing energy.
“A message to our team. Please don’t stop smiling. Ever.”
Huge beer hall in ‘up-and-coming’ Manchester neighbourhood announces shock closure after two years
Daisy Jackson
A huge beer hall and rotisserie chicken restaurant that opened just two years ago in Manchester has announced its shock closure.
Trading Route was a joint venture between some of the city’s most established hospitality figures, including Trof, Manchester Union, and Wandering Palate.
The brilliant local business has described how difficult it has been to operate as the only independent business in St John’s, ‘an area that is still described as ‘up-and-coming”.
They said that not enough footfall has not come to the area to support what they were building, which – combined with rising costs in the industry – has made it too difficult to continue operating.
They added: “We’re proud of what we created at Trading Route and incredibly grateful to our customers and everyone who supported us over the past two years.
“To our team, we’re deeply sorry we couldn’t make it work for you. The friendships made over the past two years mean so much to us, and knowing the impact this closure has on you is especially hard.”
They then urged people to sign the petition to reduce VAT for hospitality, saying it could help to save your favourite places.
The Trading Route in Manchester has closed with immediate effectThe bar served great local beers and rotisserie chicken
Trading Route will close in Manchester with immediate effect.
Their full statement reads: “It is with a heavy heart that we announce the closure of Trading Route with immediate effect.
“Rising costs and stagnant footfall have made the business increasingly difficult to sustain, with trading conditions particularly challenging over the previous three months.
“We spent our first 12 months operating amid ongoing construction in an area that is still described as “up-and-coming”. As the only independent business in the area, we needed footfall to grow to support what we were building. Unfortunately, that growth hasn’t materialised quickly enough.
“We’re proud of what we created at Trading Route and incredibly grateful to our customers and everyone who supported us over the past two years.
“To our team, we’re deeply sorry we couldn’t make it work for you. The friendships made over the past two years mean so much to us, and knowing the impact this closure has on you is especially hard.
“It’s too late for us, but you could help save your favourite places by signing the petition to reduce VAT for hospitality to 10%. Independent bars, restaurants and pubs need your support to keep their doors open.
Thomas Melia -
5th December 2024 
