Deliveroo is hosting free food tours around UK cities in the coming weeks, where people can hop on board an Amsterdam-style pedal bike to tour their area’s culinary scene.
The Grub Crawl has been created to help new students in Manchester, Leeds, Edinburgh and Bristol to make friends while grabbing a bite to eat.
Next week, students in Manchester will be able to climb into the saddle of a giant turquoise Deliveroo pedal bike.
Together they’ll visit four of the city’s hottest local food spots, handpicked by Deliveroo, including burger icons Almost Famous and dim sum legends Yum Cha.
It will also pop in to Bunsik, home of the cheese-pull-paradise Korean corn dogs, and Insomnia Cookies, which serves freshly-baked cookies until 3am.
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Each Grub Crawl is headed up by experienced and local student reps.
The Grub Crawl has already visited Edinburgh and Leeds and will arrive in Manchester on 2 and 3 October.
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Insomnia Cookies is included in the Deliveroo Grub Crawl
The delivery platform has come up with the stunt to celebrate the launch of Deliveroo Students, which gives students free delivery throughout the academic year.
Its research found that 9 out of 10 (90%) of first-year students said ordering food and eating together is a great way to connect with new people.
After joining clubs and societies (57%), exploring local restaurants and takeaways (55%) is one of the top activities freshers are most looking forward to, followed by attending the Freshers’ Fair (55%) and discovering local nightlife (54%).
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Aisha Jefferson, Global Head of Consumer Comms at Deliveroo said: “We’re so excited to be launching our new student club, Deliveroo Students, and what better way to announce it than with the Grub Crawl.
Yum Cha, Kampus
“It’s designed to give students the ultimate free foodie tour and help freshers discover local restaurants and meet new mates at a really exciting but equally scary time, as many first-year students move to new cities, try to make new friends, and cook for themselves for the first time.
“Our research found eating is a key bonding experience for young people, with 88% of students feeling closer to their friends after sharing a meal together.
“We look forward to helping our Grub Crawlers discover new and delicious restaurants on their doorstep, and maybe make some new friends along the way!”
To bag a spot on the Deliveroo Students Grub Crawl, freshers need to sign up for Deliveroo Students where they can enjoy a host of benefits and tonnes more via deliveroostudents.co.uk.
Pat Regan at the Fairfield Social Club – a brilliantly unhinged evening of standup comedy
Clementine Hall
There’s a particular kind of chaos that only Pat Regan can deliver, and the recently re-recognised Fairfield Social Club got the full force of it last night.
Making his Manchester debut as part of the ‘A Lovely Time’ series at the equally as lovely Fairfield Social Club, the New York comic, writer, and podcast host arrived with the energy of someone who had already lived through three emotional breakdowns before breakfast and somehow still had the worst to come.
Known for his work on HBO’s Hacks and the cult-favourite podcast Seek Treatment with fellow comic Catherine Cohen, Regan’s stand-up feels less like your traditional comedy set and more like being trapped in the world’s funniest group chat.
The perfectly intimate room beneath Fairfield’s railway arches was packed with adoring fans who were immediately on side as Regan launched into stories about traumatic trips to Paris, Grindr dates, massage tables and having crushes at the gym.
The audience was in the palm of his slightly sweaty hands (don’t worry, he’ll be fine with me saying so), laughing at every awkward punchline and self-deprecating anecdote.
The material is nothing groundbreaking, but this is what makes it so deeply hilarious; never before has shopping for the perfect pair of jeans been so serious and unserious at the same time.
There was laughter rolling through the venue for virtually the entire set, and after an hour of never-ending quips and jokes, we were left wanting more.
And the best part is, it won’t be long until we get more from this place, and it’s no wonder they’re starting to get the hosting plaudits they deserve.
It’s safe to say Fairfield Social Club has become one of Manchester’s most exciting homes for alternative comedy, and this felt like exactly the sort of booking that justifies its growing reputation.
By the time Regan left the stage, the audience looked equal parts exhausted and delighted. An absolutely classy evening indeed.
Find out about what else is on at the Fairfield Social Club HERE.
First-ever JD Wetherspoon pub to open at Manchester Airport
Danny Jones
In news that we feel many Mancs and travellers all-round have been waiting on for a long time, the well-known British chain, JD Wetherspoon, will be opening its first-ever pub at Manchester Airport.
That’s right: soon that first airport pint of the holiday could actually be a relatively cheap one.
While Wetherspoons are no strangers to popping up in terminals across the UK and Ireland, they’ve never done so here in Manchester despite having three, yes THREE, in Gatwick alone.
Not for much longer, though, as soon T2 will be lending more than 3,000 square feet of its prime leisure and retail real estate to a new Greater Manchester ‘Spoons’.
Posting on social media, the airport wrote: “Wetherspoon comes to Manchester Airport this September! The pub will be located in the Terminal 2 Departures lounge and will have more than 300 seats.
“This will become the final major food and drink venue to open its doors as part of our decade-long £1.3bn transformation of Terminal 2. It will be named ‘The Belle Vue’, in a nod to Manchester’s historic showground [now a sports complex and leisure hub].
“It was a focal point for social life in the city from the Victorian period up until 2020, when the final event was held at Belle Vue stadium. The design of the pub is inspired by the history of Belle Vue and the sporting culture of the North West of England. We look forward to welcoming you all in September!”
While a lot of money has been pumped into T2’s refurb as a whole over the past few years, it remains unclear just how much this particular new addition will cost; we do know that great sums were set aside for the launch of the Great Northern Market last year.
The inaugural Manchester Airport Spoons is just the latest in a series of major renovations.
As mentioned, the company already operate several up and down the country – 10 airport pubs, to be specific – but this will be the first in the North West.
Speaking on the news, JD Wetherspoon chief executive John Hutson said in a statement: “We are looking forward to opening at Manchester Airport. We believe our new pub will prove popular with travellers of all ages and be an asset to the new terminal.”
With Manchester Airport adding a dozen new routes to its roster this summer, you can expect to see even more people flying in and out than ever – no doubt having already polished off a cut-price pint or two beforehand.
Daisy Jackson -
28th September 2023 
