Local celebrity Simon Wood has called out a recent group of no-show customers that failed to turn up to his city-centre restaurant this past weekend.
The 48-year-old behind the self-titled WOOD Manchester didn’t hold back when criticising the no-show guests who had reserved the chef’s table on Saturday night, one of the most exclusive and expensive experiences for any restaurant.
Wood won MasterChef back in 2015 and remains one of the best chefs in the city but with everyone in the hospitality industry still being hit hard by the cost of living and crisis, rising business rates and energy bills, any bookings are important – let alone a chef’s table.
Addressing the absentee diners’ decision to not only skip out on the table but make no effort to let him and his team know they wouldn’t be making the meal online, he signed off by simply saying: “What a way to support a small business. Much appreciated, you tw**ts.
An Actual image of my Chefs table at 8pm last night
I’d like to say a huge thanks to the Table of 5 that no showed, not even a phone call or a courtesy so I could try and resell the table
As you can see, the chef-owner felt rightly aggrieved by the no-show, not only offering sarcastic gratitude but proceeding to use some choice language to describe the behaviour.
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He doubled down in a later post by insisting, “It is not the restaurant’s responsibility to have a policy or contingency in place to accommodate every eventuality where a patron or prospective patron may or may not be an absolute sh**house…. I think that covers all replies to the below thread.”
Wood had no intention of hiding his frustration, also choosing to reshare an old post about the “entitlement” within the culinary scene and service sector as a whole.
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He even uploaded a clearly loaded image of his ‘song of the day’: ‘People = Sh**’ by Slipknot
Social media was awash with plenty of support from fellow Mancs and diners from all over, at least, with one person writing: “To keep good restaurants in business, we have to change the norm to deposits / buying tickets for seats.
“If it’s accepted in a cinema or at a concert, why not a restaurant where the spoilage of a no-show is the same or likely, worse?” Another went on to add, “I have been twice – lunch and dinner – high quality and impeccably looked after by the staff.”
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It goes without saying that if you can’t make a booking, what level of restaurant or food spot you might be heading to, then it’s not just common courtesy to let the business know as soon as you can, it can be the difference between them being able to flip the table and whether or not they struggle that month.
As if it needed reiterating at all, it doesn’t matter whether it’s Simon Wood and his fine-dining restaurant or your local pub serving up good honest grub other, just letting them know if you’re going to be a no-show takes very little effort at all…
New Almost Famous owners praised for ‘honest’ statement about burger joint
Daisy Jackson
The new owners of Almost Famous have released a lengthy statement addressing the legendary burger joint’s shock closure and sudden reopening.
The statement touches on everything from hiring back old teams to reopening those remaining venues that didn’t survive the takeover.
And this ‘transparent and honest communication’ has earned them a wave of praise from fans, who say it’s a ‘breath of fresh air’.
In their statement shared a week after reopening Almost Famous, D2 – the company behind PINS Social Club bowling bar in Liverpool – addressed plenty of the rumours and noise surrounding the high-profile closure.
“No, it wasn’t a publicity stunt,” they stressed, adding: “It wasn’t a pre-planned takeover – we saw the news at the same time everyone else and acted quickly.”
Addressing the staff who were made redundant when former Almost Famous operator Beautiful Drinks shut the brand down, D2 assured followers that they have ‘hired as many of the old team as we could’.
And as for their outstanding wages, they added: “We moved heaven and earth to get them a pay check in February as we knew they hadn’t been paid since December.
Food at Almost Famous since D2’s takeover of the legendary burger brand. Credit: The Manc Group
“It was really important to be able to reopen the venues quickly – we wanted to get staff back into their jobs and keep the existing suppliers -otherwise it wouldn’t have been the same brand we all loved, would it?
“If we hadn’t been able to reopen at the speed that we did – then the existing teams would have had to look at new jobs and we’d have risked losing brilliant people. If you don’t believe us ask them.”
When D2 took over Almost Famous, they had initially toyed with the idea of having it as the food operator in its PINS Social Club, but instead swiftly reopened the restaurants in the Northern Quarter and in Liverpool – though its Leeds and Great Northern sites never got back to slinging burgers.
On that, they said: “Leeds – we’ve not forgotten you. Ideally we’d have all four sites reopen now but the lease agreements were more complicated for Leeds and Great Northern. We had to prioritise the sites we knew we’d be able to save and we’re hoping that we’ll be able to look for new sites soon.”
Since sharing their statement on Instagram, Almost Famous has been flooded with praise from customers for their honest take.
One person wrote: “Great to read such an open and transparent statement about everything, especially regarding the old staff, and their pay, the staff at the NQ have always been one of the reasons I’ve kept visiting anytime I’m up in Manchester.
“I’m looking forward to making a visit at the end of the month when I’m up in the city for an overnight stay.”
Another commented: “This is awesome! I love how upfront and honest you have been with all of this. Taking the OG team back too – more businesses need to take this lead! Good luck with your amazing future, I’ll be bobbing in to get my AF fix ASAP.”
And someone else said: “This is honestly such a positive sign. The fact you’re being completely transparent is a breath of fresh air – I had no idea the previous owners hadn’t paid their staff. I really hope the Leeds branch opens again.”
Manchester’s Joy Division-inspired bar has shut down, to be replaced with ramen restaurant
Daisy Jackson
A bar in the heart of Manchester that was inspired by the legendary Joy Division has quietly closed its doors, and its spot in the Northern Quarter already snapped up by a new operator.
Disorder opened in 2023 on High Street, taking over the former Walrus bar and turning it into a restaurant and bar inspired by one of the city’s most famous bands, with decor including a mural of Ian Curtis himself, painted by the legendary local street artist Akse-P19.
Disorder has now quietly closed its doors, with its social media pages falling silent.
But the site itself won’t stay quiet for long – a new application has already been lodged for a popular ramen and sushi spot to move in.
Maki and Ramen have submitted plans to open another of its Japanese restaurants here in the Northern Quarter, pretty much down the street from their existing, and very busy, York Street.
The brand started life in Edinburgh, before opening more restaurants across Glasgow, Leeds, and arriving in Manchester in 2023.
Founder Teddy Lee spent time studying the art of both ramen and sushi making in the heart of Tokyo to hone the menu at Maki and Ramen.
Maki and Ramen is taking the former Disorder site in the Northern Quarter. Credit: The Manc Group
Now you’ll find sushi, side plates and other mains, including classic tonkotsu ramen, steak tataki and salmon miso.
The interior of the existing restaurant is filled with pink cherry blossoms, and the walls are adorned with post-it notes that customers sign and leave well-wishes on.
Disorder had been serving an Asian fusion menu, which features items like Japanese sandos, loaded skewers, and tostadas, but was best-known for its live events down in its basement.
Danny Jones -
30th September 2024 
