After a turbulent old month, Manchester’s favourite hoagie slingers Bada Bing have found themselves a new home in Ancoats.
Starting from next Friday, the new home of Manchester’s two-fisted sandwiches will be operating out of the kitchen of none other than Ancoats General Store.
It’s great news for the budding small business, run by couple Meg Lingenfelter and Sam Gormally, who have been hit with a series of challenges this month.
Bada Bing has just finished a pop-up at The Refuge as part of an Eatmcr street food takeover / Image: Bada Bing
First having to move out of their dark kitchen unit on Radium street, then getting their Instagram hacked into and losing all of their followers, the pair have a very successful business but haven’t had the easiest time of it lately.
They’ve just spent the past four weeks popping up at The Refuge as part of a summer street food takeover by Eatmcr, but now they’re ready to move into a new permanent home.
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Just a handful of the epic hoagies on offer at Bada Bing – signature sandiwch “the Bing” pictured on the right / Image: Bada Bing
Loyal fans will be absolutely chuffed to hear that they’re going into General Store in Ancoats, taking over the kitchen every Thursday to Sunday from 11.30am to 5pm or until they sell out.
Admirers of their fat hoagies (and rest assured there are many) will, at last, be able to pop round the corner in Ancoats again to grab a hench sarnie stacked to the brim with proper tasty US deli-style meats and cheeses.
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The menu here always holds on to a few favourites, but the team like to add in changing specials to keep things fresh for the regulars.
A recent veggie / vegan special that combined “all the green things” they could put in a sandwich / Image: Bada Bing
Menu staples include the “Muffuletta” with Bing’s smoked ham, chicken, Napoli salami, sharp provolone, olive salad and gochujang mayo and their signature sandwich “The Bing” with gabagool, pistachio mortadella, Napoli salami, ventricina salami, sharp provolone, tomato, lettuce, red onion, homemade giardiniera and mayo.
But there’s so much more to try here too – with an average of at least five different sandwiches on the menu at any one time.
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It sounds like there are some exciting new developments in the pipeline menu-wise, with whispers of homemade icecream and a specially-brewed beer on the cards as well as something new with chicken – but we’ll just have to hold out breath for now.
We’re absolutely buzzing for them. For more updates, keep your eyes on their social media here.
Find Bada Bing at Ancoats General Store from next week, every Thursday to Sunday 11.30am until sell out.
News
Co-op Live boss resigns just days before venue’s official opening
Daisy Jackson
The boss of Co-op Live, Manchester’s enormous, ground-breaking new arena, has resigned from his position just days before the venue is set to open.
The enormous music-first arena has been taking shape beside the Etihad Stadium for several years, and was due to welcome its first official audiences this week, but has been hit with last-minute challenges.
And now Co-op Live‘s boss Gary Roden has quit the mammoth project, with the news of his resignation announced late Thursday evening.
Oak View Group, which Co-op Live is part of, said in a statement that they would like to ‘thank Gary for his help bringing the UK’s newest arena to live entertainment fans’.
Stepping into his shoes as interim general manager will be Rebecca Kane Burton, who previously ran the U.K.’s highest-grossing venue, London’s The O2 arena.
Gary has previously come under fire for saying that some grassroots music venues ‘poorly run’ – a statement that OVG has now distanced itself from.
A separate statement said that ‘neither Co-op Live nor Oak View Group share the sentiment expressed by former Co-op Live General Manager Gary Roden regarding the grassroots industry’.
It continued: “As OVG Chairman and CEO Tim Leiweke has repeatedly stated, Co-op Live remains committed to grassroots music in Manchester and beyond, including teaming up with Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham on the Artist of the Month campaign, and as a founding partner of Beyond The Music.
“Co-op Live also donates over £1m a year to the Co-op Foundation to support communities and empower young people to take social action through its new Young Gamechangers fund.
“Oak View Group and Co-op Live remain happy to meet with grassroots organisations once the venue is fully operational.”
Co-op Live boss Gary Roden speaking at the launch of Co-op Live just days before he resigned. Credit: The Manc GroupInside Co-op Live in Manchester
The news of the venue’s boss stepping down comes at a time when all eyes are on Co-op Live, the opening of which has been delayed.
The venue did host a test event with Rick Astley last weekend, but even that faced difficulties, with thousands of tickets cancelled to reduce capacity just hours before showtime.
It’s now set to officially open this Saturday 27 April with a performance by rock group The Black Keys.
The full statement from OVG about Gary’s resignation said: “Gary Roden has decided to resign. We’d like to thank Gary for his help bringing the UK’s newest arena to live entertainment fans and wish him the best for the future.
“Rebecca Kane Burton has been named Interim GM, effective today. Rebecca is a seasoned veteran of venue management and live entertainment in the UK having served as VP/GM of The O2 from 2012-2016 and CEO of LW Theatres from 2016-2021.
Tailgaters and middle lane hoggers warned to change their ‘dangerous’ driving style
Emily Sergeant
A warning has been issued to tailgaters and motorway middle lane hoggers urging them to change their ‘dangerous’ driving style.
Do you find yourself guilty of two of the biggest driving sins from time to time?
Well, according to the latest figures released by National Highways, one in three motorists have admitted to middle lane hogging in their lives, while one in four have committed acts of tailgating on some of the UK’s fastest roads.
These shocking survey findings – which were released back in early March as the Government-owned road management company launched a new campaign – showed that lane hogging was among the behaviours that are most likely to cause motorists and passengers to feel ‘frustrated’, and tailgating was most likely to cause feelings of unease, stress, and anxiety.
Nearly a third (32%) of drivers admitted to lane hogging ‘at least occasionally’ while driving on England’s motorways and major A roads, according to the survey – which polled 2,500 adults between the ages of 16-75.
On top of this, almost seven in ten adults in England (67%) said close following or tailgating is a ‘serious problem’ on these types of roads, but nearly a quarter (23%) admitted to doing it from time to time.
Tut-tut.
Tailgaters and middle lane hoggers have been warned to change their ‘dangerous’ driving style (Credit: IPTC/Ronald Hudson)
It’s these very statistics which have led National Highways to issue an urgent warning that calls on these motorists to “carefully consider” their driving habits, as “little changes can change everything”.
Lane hogging and tailgating both fall under the offence of ‘careless driving’ in England, with the country’s police forces having the power to hand out on-the-spot fines of £100 and three penalty points to those who commit such offences.
“Middle lane hogging and tailgating are far more than mere annoyances for drivers,” warned RAC road safety spokesperson, Rod Dennis, adding that these actions “put everyone on the roads at risk.”
If you’re too close to the vehicle in front, you’re tailgating. This is very dangerous and could lead to a collision. Always leave at least a two-second gap and make sure you follow the advice from The Highway Code.
He continued in his reaction to the release of the latest National Highways figures: “Closely following another motorist could easily result in a serious collision should the driver ahead need to brake sharply for any reason, so the fact nearly one in four drivers admitted to doing so on some of England’s fastest and busiest roads is frightening”.
Mr Dennis said he understands that offenders “might find these habits hard to kick”, but that’s why the urgent calls for motorists to make changes are “so important”.
“By understanding that how we choose to drive affects others, we can each make a real difference to the safety of our roads,” he concluded.
Georgina Pellant -
13th July 2021 
