A steakhouse in Manchester has revealed plans to run a £15 deal during the rail and tube strikes in a bid to keep pulling people in.
Hawksmoor restaurant on Deansgate, which is widely considered to be one of the best steakhouses in the city, usually sells its 300g rump steak for £26 each with dripping fries priced at £5.75 on top.
However, during the ongoing strikes the restaurant has revealed it will be running a special deal where diners can enjoy the two together for £15.
Bosses have admitted the deal is so good, the restaurant won’t make any money – but say that it is more about keeping their restaurants (and hard-working teams) busy.
The new deal, dubbed ‘Move Your Rump’, will run from Thursday 20 to Monday 31 July and on every rail or tube strike day ‘for the foreseeable future’ between the hours of 12 and 6 pm.
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Revealing the new deal on Instagram, the business wrote: “A special rail strike announcement. It probably hasn’t escaped your notice that transport strikes aren’t great for restaurants, any more than they’re great for you. Sure, people have the right to strike and fight for more money, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t hard.
“Fortunately, Hawksmoor is doing OK, but this obviously impacts you and our teams. So, what to do about it? Well, we’ve decided to grab the cow by the horns and offer £15 steak & frites*, kicking off the offer from Thursday 20th until the end of July and then every rail/tube strike day for the foreseeable future.
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Image: Hawksmoor
Image: The Manc Eats
“A good reason to ‘move your rump’ and come have a good time with us. We won’t make any money out of it, but it should help to keep our restaurants – and our hard-working teams – busy, and hopefully gives you a reason to come into town and make a day of it.
“And, if you can’t come to Hawksmoor, consider nipping for lunch somewhere else. The hospitality industry has lost about £3bn since the strikes began and businesses are closing at an increasingly fast rate. A bit of fun for you, a welcome bit of business for them.
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*Available at our London, Manchester, Liverpool & Edinburgh Hawksmoor restaurants by booking on our website and quoting “Strike Steak” in the notes. Monday – Saturday, at lunchtime & early evenings, 12-6pm – opening hours vary slightly by restaurant, please check our website for details.”
Sacha Lord set to back local hospitality again with money behind the bar of one Greater Manchester pub
Danny Jones
Local figure Sacha Lord is once again looking to help support Greater Manchester’s food and drink scene once again this spring by putting a total of £2.5k behind the bar of one lucky pub.
Well, let’s be honest, we’re about to be the real lucky ones.
It’s far from the first time that the Night Time Economy Advisor has done this, having previously put sizeable sums towards shared tabs on a few ocassions over the last few years.
Lining up his next handout for this coming early May bank holiday (perfect timing), it’s going to be a super and potentially very sloppy Sunday…
Tell me your favourite pub in Greater Manchester.
Bank Holiday Sunday 3rd May, I’ll be turning up and putting £2500 behind the bar.
Sharing the video above online earlier this week, the 54-year-old simply wrote, “Tell me your favourite pub in Greater Manchester. Bank Holiday Sunday, 3rd May, I’ll be turning up and putting £2500 behind the bar.”
The message is as straightforward as ever: “Support your local pub.”
Now obviously, the fact that people can reply with their go-to boozers and help influence the decision is one thing – something that has certainly always created an attraction each time he’s done this – but it’s also just a good way of marketing these watering holes to begin with.
Whether or not someone’s favourite public house tucked away in one of the 10 boroughs, or their bar of choice here in Manchester city centre, ends up being selected or not, it’s obviously great publicity having their names plastered on a notable social media account.
This is especially so when you see how much the post itself ends up being reshared and the overall exposure Lord ultimately lends them via creating such a big crowd discussion.
Here’s hoping we get proper beer garden weather over that long weekend.
It’s also worth noting that the further support stunts like this have helped garner support for other regional businesses – in particular, indies that are battling the cost of living crisis and so many other challenges within the sector – has proved crucial for some places to stay open to begin with.
A good example is the Thirsty Korean, who teamed up with the Altrincham-born entrepreneur to cover hundreds of bills back in 2023, and has now been able to expand into a larger venue down the road from their original Chorlton location.
The obstacles facing the hospitality industry remain varied and numerous, but gestures like this can go a long way to helping prop up those who need it.
A huge new Irish bar has opened in Manchester city centre (yes, another one)
Daisy Jackson
There’s another new Irish pub in Manchester city centre, this time on one of our busiest nightlife strips, Peter Street.
Katie O’Brien’s has officially thrown open the doors to its enormous two-storey venue, taking over and transforming the former Peaky Blinders bar.
Inside, there are three bars pouring both Guinness AND Murphys, a huge elevated stage on its own mezzanine level, which will host live musicians seven nights a week, and walls packed with decor transporting you to the Emerald Isle.
The makeover they’ve given this massive unit really is quite something, creating all sorts of cosy corners and snug areas where you can nurse a pint of stout.
Faux fireplaces, leather booth seating, and low ceilings all set the tone for a relaxed pint in the snugs.
Or if you want something a little livelier, head to the heart of the bar, where you can dance the night away to the live entertainment above your head.
Manchester’s Katie O’Brien’s is set to be their largest Irish bar yet, with existing locations all over the UK, including in Leeds and Sheffield.
Their rapid expansion has now brought them to the heart of Manchester, where they’ll be neighbouring bustling nightlife spots like Albert’s Schloss, Manahatta, and Impossible.
Katie O’Brien’s has opened on Peter StreetIt’s taken over the old Peaky Blinders barCosy snugs in Katie O’Brien’sIt serves both Murphy’s AND Guinness
The venue has taken over what was once the Peaky Blinders bar, which shut down back in March.
The previous occupier had themed its venue and menu around the hit gangster show, with cocktails named after characters.
They wrote at the time: “It is with an extremely heavy heart that we unfortunately have to announce the closure of Peaky Blinders Manchester with immediate effect. On behalf of our entire team, we are truly thankful to every guest who has stepped through our doors since opening in 2018.
“We are devastated it has had to end this way, but grateful for the journey. Thank you so much for your continued support over the years. It’s been a blast, Manchester!”
Katie O’Brien’s is open now on Peter Street in Manchester.
Georgina Pellant -
19th July 2023 
