Federal Cafe & Bar is opening a third restaurant in Manchester city centre
Speaking exclusively to The Manc, Claudio Ribeiro, founder of the popular Kiwi and Aussi-inspired brunch spot, shared details of plans to open a third site on Oxford Road later this year.
Federal Cafe & Bar is opening a third restaurant in Manchester city centre, its owner has revealed in an exclusive with The Manc.
Not content with stretching huge queues of eager brunchers down High Street and Deansgate, Federal owner Claudio Ribeiro has now got plans to bring his famous Antipodean brunch commotion to studentland too.
Moving into a unit at the new Circle Square development next door to Hatch (and just down the road from innumerable blocks of student halls), he tells us his third Manchester site will look and feel the same as the other cafes, but with the addition of ‘something a bit different’.
The new Federal Cafe Bar, the third in Manchester, will move into an end unit at Circle Square next to Hatch. / Image: Google Maps
Menu-wise, diners can expect to find everything they would want from the existing cafes, as well as a few new surprises.
Plans are still in development, but there has been some experimentation with new, ‘healthier’ dishes (when we meet, Claudio happens to be tucking into a prototype seeded crab and avocado bagel).
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He also confides that he’s been putting some thought into introducing a new French toast menu over there, although that is not a guarantee as of yet.
With seating both inside and out, Federal 3.0 will also feature a dedicated retail space so that brunchers can pop in and do a bit of shopping when it opens in a few weeks time.
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A quick hop onto the cafe’s Instagram will leave you in doubt as to its popularity. The pictures of its long queues snaking down the pavement say it all.
Everyone knows it is the most hyped brunch restaurant in the city, but less is known about the man behind it – even though, to this day, you’ll still find him working alongside his teams in the cafes.
Having grown up in restaurants (his mum has her own in Palma, and his brother now has another in New York), he has hospitality in his blood and definitely caught the bug early.
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Moving over to the UK from Portugal in the early 2010s, he grafted his way up from the bottom: first starting off as a KP in Lincolnshire before eventually managing a hotel in Manchester – a job he continued to hold on to for two years after opening Federal.
Having bought the cafe on a whim, he says he didn’t tell anyone until the sale had gone through. Not even his fiance, even though he used their wedding fund to pay for it and so had to organise and cater their wedding himself. (As we understand it, she’s forgiven him now).
Whilst his situation has changed a lot since 2014 – he’s been on the side of a bus and appeared on TV as part of a programme shot with the BBC – his early passion for the business is still incredibly strong.
Asked what he would let it go for, he doesn’t give a figure. He merely says ‘time’, time to travel, time to be with his daughter. Yet, we get the feeling that that won’t happen for a while. He’s too invested.
It’s rare to hear an owner talk about handling customer complaints at all, let alone with heartfelt sincerity, but that’s what happens.
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It’s a joy to hear how important the experience of every single table is to him.
Claudio clearly cares more than most. We wonder if, perhaps, this is the key to Federal’s success.
Read more:The natural wine and small plates bar in a picturesque town 30 mins from Manchester
With a later license allowing it to stay open longer and serve cocktails, beers and natural wines into the night, Federal Cafe & Bar will look to host occassional events at its new home
Plans for the new site include a new cafe set up, the addition of a corner shop, as well as a late alcohol license.
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Federal currently has two sites in Manchester in the Northern Quarter and on Deansgate, and maintains its reputation as one of the city’s best brunch spots nearly a decade on from its first opening.
The new Federal Cafe at Circle Square will open from 7am to 11.30pm, Monday to Sunday, at Circle Square this autumn.
Feature image – Federal Cafe & Bar
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England international and ex-Manchester City manager Kevin Keegan dies at 75
Danny Jones
Football veteran and legend of the English game, Kevin Keegan OBE, has sadly died at the age of 75.
A former Liverpool and Newcastle player, not to mention England international, turned Manchester City manager and even Three Lions boss, his death was announced on Monday, 20 July.
The news comes following a battle with illness since the start of the year, after it was revealed that he was tragically diagnosed with stage four stomach cancer back in January.
The original ‘King Kev’ before the likes of De Bruyne, also affectionately known in the footballing world as ‘Mighty Mouse’, is said to have passed away with key members of his close family by his side.
Confirmed via a public statement issued to Sky Sports journalist Pete Graves, they wrote: “It is with immense sadness that we announce that Kevin Keegan has passed away at the age of 75.
“The former England player and manager had been battling cancer and was surrounded by his wife and daughters in his final moments. “Kevin, a double Ballon d’Or winner, was a much-loved husband, father and grandfather.”
Put simply, he had an incredible career and leaves a lasting legacy.
It goes on to read: “The family would like to thank Kevin’s incredible medical team for all their support. This is a hugely difficult time, and they are requesting space and privacy.”
Naturally, tributes are already flooding in online, with ex-pros, pundits and fans alike labelling him among England’s best-loved father figures and characters, with one user notably dubbing him as “one of football’s good guys.”
Former England captain and manager Kevin Keegan has died at the age of 75, after battling cancer.
The England, Liverpool and Newcastle United legend will be remembered as one of English football's most decorated players. pic.twitter.com/oNIPUV806n
Even at his fiery and most passionate best, he was still one of the most respected figures in the history of English football and the sporting world at large.
For instance, arguably his most iconic interview as Newcastle boss ahead of his team’s clash against Manchester United back in 1995/96 only showed how mild-mannered he often came across.
Our thoughts go out to his friends, family, former teammates and all those mourning the familiar face with a famously good head of hair.
Featured Images — Sky Sports Retro (screenshots via YouTube)/WikiCommons/Manchester City
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‘I will give this my all’ – Andy Burnham’s speech in full as he becomes Prime Minister
Emily Sergeant
Andy Burnham has officially become Prime Minister.
After it was announced last month that Andy Burnham had clinched the victory in the crucial Makerfield by-election, winning 24,927 votes (54.8% vote share) and a majority of 9,231, he then went onto announce his intention to run for Labour Party leader, and therefore Prime Minister, after Keir Starmer confirmed he would be stepping down.
Earlier in July, the former Greater Manchester Mayor delivered his first speech as part of his ongoing campaign, addressing how he plans to take the country in a ‘new direction’.
He declared that he wanted to bring the ‘Greater Manchester way’ to Westminster.
Last week, he was then officially named leader of the Labour Party after the backing of 322 other Labour MPs, and now it’s official… the UK has a new Prime Minister.
Sir Keir Starmer officially stood down and gave his final speech this morning, and after meeting with King Charles III to form a new Government, Andy Burnham appeared outside the doors of Number 10 just after midday as the new Prime Minister for the first time.
“I will give this my all, and I ask you all to pull with me,” Burnham said in his speech as he addressed the media and the millions watching at home.
Andy Burnham’s first speech as Prime Minister in full
“I have just come from Buckingham Palace, where I have accepted His Majesty the King’s invitation to form a Government. In doing so, I am acutely conscious that I am the sixth person in the last 10 years to walk up this street, the seventh Prime Minister since 2016, making this a moment for reflection and new resolution.
“It requires my generation of politicians to raise our game, and rise to the new challenge. Britain needs to show the world that we can regain our stability once again, and that is our challenge, to make politics work, to make it work better.
“I know people at home are fed up with politics. I hear you. And I want to be honest with you. We have not been good enough, and we need to be better. “We will be. We will make this moment a circuit breaker for Britain, bringing forward the biggest changes in the last 40 years. A new political model and a new economic model.
“In the 1980s, Britain took some wrong turns. Political power was centralised, economic power privatised, large parts of the country de-industrialised, and they still haven’t recovered.
“Many feel as though they’re still in decline, and they don’t have the ability to turn things around. And that’s why we will change politics, to make it more collaborative, more about problem solving than point scoring.
“We will take power out of here and carry it into every postcode in the land so that they can do more. And in doing more, build a new economy where we put life’s essentials back under stronger public control to make them affordable to you again. Re-industrialising Britain, using public procurement to back British industry.
“Later this year, I will bring forward a new plan for Britain, a 10-year plan, laying out a path from where we are now to where I believe we all want Britain to be, wherever we’re coming from, whatever party we support.
“But I can do something to give people some breathing space now, some help with the cost of living, and I will set out some of those measures starting tomorrow, including how we pay for them.
“We will help more young people into work by changing the education system and giving them more support, more mental health support. And we will build more Council homes. That is the fair and sustainable way to bring the welfare bill down, to meet our fiscal rules, and to honour our commitments on defence to our international partners.
“We will help people to live well, building a more preventative state, investing in people’s success, rather than paying for failure. And that work starts now. I will soon go through that door behind me and issue my first instruction – to end rough sleeping in our country.
“It’s about putting the right values and the right standards at the heart of Government. I will put the care of people at the heart of everything I do.
“I will give this my all, and I ask you all to pull with me. Let’s build a new national sense of unity, of common purpose and positivity. Let us make this the moment when Britain starts to believe again. The moment we bring back hope.
Georgina Pellant -
24th August 2022 
