A rice n three cafe in Manchester’s Northern Quarter was left with queues stretching out of its door this afternoon after regulars issued an impassioned plea to the local community for support.
A main-stay on Thomas Street for nearly thirty years, the family-run Yadgar cafe has stayed put in the Northern Quarter for decades whilst the city has changed around it.
The cafe has weathered many storms in its time, but the slow return of office workers to the area, following the successive lockdowns of the past few years, has hit it hard.
Inside, formica tables and minimal decor fail to give passers by a true impression of how great the food is. But today, thanks to a bit of community action, things seem to have started to turn around.
Not one to be put off by a bit of bad weather, loyal Mancs queued in the wind, rain and hail to show support for the cafe after local food and drink platform Eatmcr issued a plea on its behalf.
According to the page, which shared a heartfelt post to its Instagram account on Wednesday, on some days the cafe had been getting as little as ten people through its doors.
Image: Eatmcr
The post has since been liked over 5,000 times. In it, owner Patrick Brown wrote: “It’s been a big challenge just covering costs for the last 2 years and I promise you, this place is too good to be this quiet or struggling. Please go visit!!”
“Yadgar is perfect for lunch or a quick healthy and cheap tea. They also have a really good selection of vegetarian options. I always go for the chicken, spinach potato and daal but you’ll figure out your own order after a few visits.
“I know a lot of people are heading back to offices atm and a lot more people are moving to town for the first time. If you don’t know this spot, I fully recommend you make it apart of your life for years to come and help keep Fred and his mum’s cafe going.”
The response was huge, leading hundreds to share the original post online and sending hungry locals flocking to the cafe this lunchtime to lend their support.
A video shows people queuing out of the door in awful weather to get their rice and three, hats and gloves firmly on as they wait in the hail in a brilliant turn of events for the local business.
Speaking to The Manc about the huge response the post has received, Paddy said: “It’s just blown up across all of [our platforms] over the last 24 hours. A million plus views I think.
“I’d spoken with Fred at Yadgar a few times recently and he’d mentioned the cafe being really quiet.
“Then this week, Sulin from DGHNT reached out to us and said she’d heard the same from him so that spurred us on to go down and get a story put together.
“I think a lot of people have memories of going Yadgar before WFH was the norm, so it struck a chord with people that obviously this place is struggling.
“Then we stopped by at lunch and it was just completely rammed. I’m so made up with the turnout. I think it’s going to give them a genuine boost as well long term, Fred seemed buzing with the response too.
“Which is all down to the local community picking this up, so thank you.”
An amazing example of Manchester’s brilliant community spirit. Long may it continue.
Feature image – Eatmcr
News
Trafford Centre launches school uniform drive to help disadvantaged Manchester families
Emily Sergeant
A school uniform drive has been launched at the Trafford Centre to support local families ahead of the new school year.
With schools across Greater Manchester soon set to be out for the summer holidays, many parents, guardians, and carers in the region may be looking ahead to the new school year in September, concerned about how they may be able to provide their children with the necessary uniform items needed.
According to a 2020 survey by The Children’s Society, 23% of parents reported that the cost of school uniforms led to their children wearing ‘ill-fitting, unclean, or incorrect’ items.
It’s these statistic that highlight the ongoing pressure faced by families.
This is why the Trafford Centre has partnered with both Manchester South Central Foodbank and local charity, Bridging the Gap, to launch a school uniform donation drive aimed at supporting more than 700 children across Manchester this summer.
The Trafford Centre launches a school uniform drive to help disadvantaged Manchester families / Credit: Trafford Centre
From now up until the 15 August, anyone heading to the region’s largest shopping centre is encouraged to donate new or pre-loved school uniforms.
“The cost of living crisis has deeply impacted our community, with more and more families unable to afford the essentials,” commented Emily Jeremy, who is the Assistant Project Manager at Manchester South Central Foodbank.
“As an anti-poverty charity, we recognised the need for school uniform support years ago. Though costs vary between schools, a full set of branded secondary school uniform can total around £150, which is a significant burden for many households.”
All items can be donated at the shopping centre’s Guest Services point / Credit: Darren Robinson Photography | Trafford Centre (Supplied)
Simon Layton, Centre Director at the Trafford Centre, added: “We’re proud to be working alongside Bridging the Gap and Manchester South Central Foodbank to support local families during these challenging times.
“School uniforms shouldn’t be a barrier to education, and we hope this initiative will ease some of the pressure many parents face as the new school year approaches.”
The school uniform donation drive is running up until 15 August.
All items can be taken to the Trafford Centre’s Guest Services Lounge, which is located on Lower Regent Crescent next to M&S, and they must be clean and free from stains or damage.
The first new tenant of the old Debenhams department store on Market Street has been confirmed
Danny Jones
The first new resident of the Rylands Building on Market Street in central Manchester has been revealed, and it’s a foodie one.
Set to be the maiden opening inside the old Debenhams department store, which closed after more than three decades back in 2021, Rylands’ debut won’t be for another year or so, but it will soon welcome Mancs with an increasingly popular food hall operator making its way up north.
Simply called Market Place, the ever-growing brand is fast becoming a well-established name, with four venues in the capital already and a fifth coming soon.
Rylands will be their first location outside of London, and with 1,300 sqm of space at their disposal, Market Place Manchester is set to make a significant splash on the high street.
A look at Market Place Peckham.A rough idea of what the Manchester branch could look like.
Developers managed to green-light plans for the Grade II-listed building last November, sharing the first details and glimpses of their vision for the instantly recognisable city centre spot, including a whole new rooftop terrace.
Currently earmarked for a late 2026 launch, the former department store (previously Paulden’s) consisted of seven floors but is now set for a four-storey extension that promises to be a massive and varied retail, leisure and business destination that makes the most of the expansive structure.
Not to be confused with the famous John Rylands Library – a much older, more gothic, historic and hallowed hall over on Deansgate – this task of ‘revitalising a Manchester icon’, to quote property firm AM ALPHA, is a huge undertaking.
In charge of the redevelopment since 2023, the group have been outlining a pretty complete overhaul, with plans to convert the upper floors into premium office space, and the creation of a retail arcade at ground level, on which Market Place Manchester will sit.
This particular Manc corner was a bustling food, drink and shopping complex for the longest time, but has been derelict and covered up by boards for what feels like forever, with urban explorers even roaming the large, abandoned building.
Credit: Supplied
Now, though, the new long-term 15-year lease agreement will see the latest food hall kick off a new era for Rylands, delivering socially focused venues and the range of flavourful, vibrant choices of scran that Market Place have become known for.
With sites in St Paul’s, Vauxhall, Peckham, Harrow and soon Baker Street – as well as their eventual Manchester outpost, of course – the chain is getting bigger and better, meaning its arrival in the North West is an exciting one.
AM ALPHA manager Paul Hodgkiss said in an official statement: “Manchester is a city with a vibrant cultural scene – the perfect environment for forward-thinking concepts like Market Place Food Hall…
“The early commitment to Rylands is no coincidence: it reflects the strength of our strategic and forward-looking approach to development. We are not just creating high-quality space – we are setting new standards for urban mixed-use concepts. Interest from further prospective tenants is strong.”
It was only last week that Greater Manchester’s latest market hall, Campfield Studios, said hello to the general public and with House of Social also opening this summer, among several other similar projects, soon you won’t be able to move for more social hospitality scenes like this:
Georgina Pellant -
24th February 2022 
