A local pub in a popular Wigan town has been dividing opinion after putting out a job advert for a new chef to join its team.
With the hospitality industry currently experiencing high levels of staff shortages post-pandemic and amid the rising cost of living crisis, seeing job advertisements for new recruits in the window or on chalkboards outside establishments is a pretty common sight across Greater Manchester at the moment.
But a pub in Golborne has certainly grabbed attentions with calls to fill its latest vacancy.
The Queen Anne – which is a small family-run pub in the heart of the town on the border of Wigan and Warrington – took to Facebook last month to share that it was looking for a new chef to join its dedicated and “busy” kitchen team, and asked people to get in touch if they were interested.
The job advert was shared to Facebook alongside a photo of a chalkboard outside the venue.
ADVERTISEMENT
The pub says on its website that it “prides ourselves on serving good beer and great homemade food” and even claims to serve up “the best homemade food that Golborne has to offer”, so understandably, a chef is an important hire for the business, but one requirement the pub has for any potential applicants has got people talking – “no snowflakes”.
The advert reads: “Chef wanted. Please ask inside for details. No snowflakes please!!!”
ADVERTISEMENT
The pub elaborated in its call for the new staff member: “We are still looking for chefs to join our busy kitchen team, so if you want to be involved with serving and making the best homemade food that Golborne has to offer, are hardworking and not a snowflake, pop in and have a chat with us or drop us a message.”
The derogatory slang term ‘snowflake’ is generally defined as being an “overly sensitive or easily offended person”, or someone who believes they are “entitled to special treatment on account of their supposedly unique characteristics”.
Given the choice to include the term in the vacancy, The Queen Anne’s job advert seems to have split opinion online – with one person commenting on Facebook: “Snowflakes are taking over the world”, while another didn’t seem too keen on the recruitment tactics, and added: “I genuinely hope you find no one.”
Wigan pub divides opinion by asking for ‘no snowflakes’ in job advert for new chef / Credit: The Queen Anne
“Please define your snowflake,” another person questioned.
Another person also questioned whether or not the pub was “still looking” for applicants to fill the role “because they’re all snowflakes?”.
But offering some clarity on the situation and the decision to use the word snowflake in response to the criticism, Christopher Darnbrough – who is the landlord of The Queen Anne – told the M.E.N that they are simply looking for “a hard-worker”.
“Since the lockdown, we have had a lot of flaky people who don’t want to work and just breeze in and out and are constantly wanting time off,” he explained.
Home Bargains has announced a special two-day closure of all UK stores
Emily Sergeant
Home Bargains has, once again, announced it’ll be closing all its UK stores on both Boxing Day and New Year’s Day this year.
And it’s to make sure staff get a ‘well deserved break’.
After what has been yet another busy year for the retail industry, many workers have been left feeling like they could do with a little extra time off, which is why Home Bargains is following on with what has become a now-annual tradition by shutting up shop on two bank holidays.
All of our stores will be closing for Boxing Day & New Years Day.
Announcing the move in a post on social media, the discount retailer confirmed: “All of our stores will be closing for Boxing Day and New Years Day. We would like to thank all our colleagues for how hard you have worked this past year, and want you to relax and enjoy the Christmas break with your loved ones.”
Of course, this isn’t the first time the retailer has kept its doors shut on bank holidays.
Many shoppers will recall it has made the same decision to give hardworking staff a break every year since 2019.
Explaining a little more about the decision taken to close all its stores, Home Bargains said: “As a family-run business, we know the importance of being together at Christmas with those we care about most, now more than ever.
“This is our way of saying thank you to our colleagues for their continued hard work and dedication.”
Featured Image – Geograph
Trending
Two Greggs in Manchester will be serving their breakfast menu in the evening next week
Emily Sergeant
Who says breakfast has to end at 11am?
In news that’s set to be music to the ears of breakfast lovers in Manchester, Greggs is giving them exactly what they want.
We all know that brunch is a ‘thing’ by now, so now it’s time for brinner to make a name for itself instead, as Greggs has teamed up with Heinz to bring its much-loved breakfast menu back for tea time, kicking off from 4pm onwards.
The move comes as a new survey has found that the majority of Mancs (69%) admit to enjoying eating breakfast food in the evening, saying it’s ‘convenient and comforting’ – even ranking breakfast as a ‘more important’ meal than tea, as well (38% vs 36%).
Two Greggs in Manchester will be serving their breakfast menu in the evening next week / Credit: Greggs (Supplied)
Greggs says it has ‘lost count’ of the amount of customers that have tried to order breakfast items after the usual cut-off time, especially in Greater Manchester.
But luckily for those breakfast-loving Mancs, they can finally get their favourite breakfast and sauce pairing long after the morning rush is over next… but only at two Greggs branches, and only for a very limited time.
On Wednesday 14 and Thursday 15 October, the Heinz x Greggs Brinner collab will be available at Greggs St Mary’s Gate and Greggs Oxford Road, from 4-7pm only.
“We’ve lost count of the number of customers who have tried their luck ordering breakfast after 11am, so when Heinz came to us with the idea of making Brinner a reality, it felt like the perfect excuse to give the people what they want,” explained Zoe Harris, who is the Customer Director at Greggs.
“And let’s be honest, a Greggs Bacon Roll just wouldn’t be the same without a squeeze of Heinz Tomato Ketchup.”
Emily Sergeant -
31st August 2022 
