Manchester hospitality pleads for customers to give notice as no-shows continue
The lifting of restrictions combined with good weather has resulted in high demand for tables since April 12. But some restaurant and bar owners have revealed that people are still failing to turn up for their bookings.
Restaurants in Greater Manchester are asking customers to cancel any reservations they can no longer make after reports of more no-shows happening across the city.
Hospitality launched the #NoMoreNoShows campaign last summer following the revelation that so many customers are abandoning pre-booked tables it’s costing the sector £16bn a year.
And the damaging habit has seemingly resurfaced following the reopening of outdoor venues in 2021.
The easing of restrictions combined with good weather has resulted in high demand for seats at bars and restaurants since April 12 – but owners have revealed that too many people are failing to turn up for their bookings.
Olivia Thornton Stubbs, Area Business Development Manager for San Carlo Group, said the number of no-shows on Sunday (April 26) had been “disheartening”.
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“People, please call restaurants to cancel,” she posted on Twitter.
“We’re working harder than ever to give you the best experience and this means we have to turn others away throughout the week who we’d absolutely love to fit in.”
Chief Executive of Gusto Matt Snell also spoke out last week, explaining that the Italian chain was seeing a high rate of cancellations on a daily basis – but this was “actually a good thing” as the empty covers could be replaced.
One Gusto restaurant, however, had seen 15% of covers failing to show without notice.
Snell explained: “We are having up to 40% of covers CANCEL each day. This is actually a good thing though as we are able to replace these covers. We still have a restaurant suffering up to 15% of covers no showing, despite all the checks we’ve put in place.
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“If you can’t make it, that’s fine. Just let us know.”
If you can't make it, that's fine. JUST LET US KNOW#nomorenoshows
Volta bar and restaurant on Burton Road in Didsbury also weighed in on the topic, stating the #NoMoreNoShows message “had never been more important”.
“Last week the hospitality industry saw lots of empty tables in the busiest (and arguably most important) week of the year for us and so many others,” bar reps stated.
“Let’s stop that.”
Restaurants right across the country have reported the same problem since reopening to the public two weeks ago.
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A small venue in the Wirral recently made regional headlines after announcing online that it could simply “not afford” any more empty tables, whilst another pub in Benfleet near Southend reported a staggering 60 no-shows in just two days.
The Bohemia in North Finchley said it had suffered 90 no-shows and last-minute cancellations on its first Friday back open since lockdown.
Some venues have now resorted to taking deposits from customers in an attempt to soften the financial impact caused by deserted tables.
The #NoMoreNoShows campaign encourages all customers to contact venues if they cannot make their reservation and rebook for a different time.
One of the early backers of the campaign, Abi Dunn at Sixty Eight People, has continued to emphasise to customers that “it’s ok to cancel.”
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“In no other area of business is it acceptable to renege on a contract in this way,” she stated.
“We have to change the way people behave and the notion that no shows are acceptable.
“Greater Manchester is a metropolis of bars, dining, coffee hang outs, gastronomic delights and nights to remember. Please help them all stay open!”
Featured image: Victor He / Unsplash
Food & Drink
What is the UK’s national dish? New survey reveals Brits’ pick in landslide victory
Emily Sergeant
If you’ve ever thought to Google the question ‘what is Britain’s national dish?’, then you probably came away thinking it’s chicken tikka masala.
But is that actually the truth? A new survey has disproved the claim, massively.
There’s no denying that chicken tikka masala – an Indian curry that’s actually widely thought to have been created in Britain – is a popular dish that’s loved by many, but despite what many headlines have claimed over the years, a new YouGov survey has revealed it’s not what Brits consider to be the country’s ‘national dish’.
YouGov conducted two online surveys earlier this month, made up of 2,079 and 2,104 adults aged 18+ living in Great Britain.
And, in their own words, Brits chose fish and chips as the country’s national dish, making it the ‘resounding’ winner with 49% of the vote.
What is the UK’s national dish? A new survey has revealed Brits’ pick in a landslide victory / Credit: The Manc Group
With nearly half of the overall vote, this puts fish and chips far ahead of the roast dinner in second place, which only 24% of people picked – including the 6% who made sure to specify a beef roast.
In fact, only 3% of Brits actually name chicken tikka masala as the UK’s national dish, although 52% in the survey did confess that they eat some form of curry at least once a month, so it is still a popular pick regardless.
Fish and chips is by far the most common answer across all generations too, according to the survey (45-50%), with the biggest difference between age groups being that 18-24 year olds are less likely to have nominated roast dinner and more likely to have chosen chicken tikka masala instead.
What do Brits say is the UK’s national dish?
Fish and chips – 49%
Roast dinner – 24%
Chicken tikka masala – 3%
Curry (non-specific) – 2%
Full English breakfast – 2%
Bangers and mash – 1%
Cottage or shepherd’s pie – 1%
Other – 3%
Don’t know – 15%
The survey also showed that, of the three top contenders for the UK’s national dish, roast dinners are the most frequently eaten, as 52% of people said they eat them on a monthly basis – including 16% who do so every week.
Aside from the frequently mentioned dishes, some survey respondents also gave shoutouts to the full English breakfast (2%), bangers and mash (1%), and cottage or shepherd’s pie (1%).
What do you think then? Do you agree with the survey’s findings? Or would you have picked something else instead?
Featured Image – Raman SQC (via Unsplash)
Food & Drink
First look inside Social Osteria, Stockport’s buzzy new Italian restaurant
Lydia Mastrolonardo
That’s right Stopfordians – we’re gaining yet another brand new addition to our town’s blooming food and drink scene, as Social Osteria opens its doors at Weir Mill.
It’s safe to say we’re in good hands, with the geniuses behind The Social Trattoria, named best Trattoria at the Italian Awards UK 2025, being the ones to bring this new taste of Italy to South Manchester.
Just because we are no longer experiencing the weather to match an Italian summer, doesn’t mean we can’t continue eating like we’re there.
Social Osteria can now be found overlooking the River Mersey, as a beautiful 2,000 sq ft space within the buzzing new canalside development, fully equipped with the classic exposed red brickwork, vaulted ceilings and even the restored original kiln.
As you approach the restaurant, you are greeted by a sunken courtyard and riverside seating, making for the perfect alfresco dining spot, when the warmer weather finally rolls back around.
With the meaning of Osteria being an Italian tavern, for locals to gather and enjoy each other’s company, good wine and honest, flavourful food – the team have stayed true to the name. You can expect dim, ambient lighting, an open kitchen, fresh small plates, flavourful 48-hour pizzas, and traditional pasta.
Vibrant dishes at Social Osteria in Stockport. Credit: The Manc Group
This glamorous new restaurant is promising a spectacular menu, from cacio e pepe butter beans to guanciale topped pizzas and their very own slow-cooked beef shin and pork shoulder paccheri ragu, you know we’re in the right place.
With Italian food running in the family, the team’s cooking practices are rooted in traditional methods, passed down through the generations and then presented to us, with the freshest of ingredients.
It suits Capital&Centric, who’ve taken the same approach to Weir Mill itself – embracing the character of the historic mill whilst transforming it into a vibrant community, for generations to come.
Inside Social Osteria at Weir Mill. Credit: The Manc Group
Set below Stockport’s iconic viaduct, the £60m neighbourhood is now home to 253 apartments alongside bustling cafés, wine bars and stunning restaurants akin to Social Osteria, accompanied by plenty of outdoor seating, green spaces, and riverside viewpoints.
Where Osteria Social now calls home is part of Stockport’s £1 billion Town Centre West masterplan, adding to the town’s growing reputation as one of the best locations to live in the UK.
Social Osteria will officially open Thursday 22 October, at Weir Mill. Be sure to book your tables early as we fear this one might get a little booked up.
The Manc -
26th April 2021 
