A northern takeaway boss turned detective on the streets of York after one of his customers tried to claim a ‘fake refund’ for their order.
Connor Calland, the owner of EborCibus Pizza in York, decided to take matters into his own hands and play detective after a fraudulent diner tried to get their meal for free by saying it hadn’t arrived.
After being contacted by Deliveroo on February 17 to be informed a customer had complained that a meal, ordered two days before at a cost of £23.49, was not delivered, Mr Calland turned to somewhat unusual means in a bit to outsmart the cheeky customer.
Image: EborCibus Pizza
Having been told by his staff that the order, consisting of a 12-inch ‘Solar Goat Pig’ pizza with mozzarella dippers and buffalo blue chicken loaded fries, had indeed been sent out, Mr Calland was on a mission to discover the truth, reports The Hoot.
Determined to get to the bottom of the matter, he decided to get involved himself – visiting the customer’s address and rifling through their bins in search of evidence.
ADVERTISEMENT
But it doesn’t end there. Having discovered his ‘proof’ in the form of containers covered in buffalo sauce in the bins outside, he boldly knocked on the door and demanded a written apology of ‘no less’ than 750 words.
Despite being told by a housemate that the customer was not in when he knocked, soon after demanding his apology Mr Calland received a grovelling email blaming ‘peer pressure’.
Taking to Facebook to share details of the incident, Mr Calland explained that these fraudulent claims cost his independent York business between £50 and £150 a week.
However, he has since said that after rifling through the bins he hasn’t had any more fraudulent refund requests.
ADVERTISEMENT
The independent York eatery specialise in Detroit and New York-style pizzas, as well as serving a range of different burgers, fried chicken and loaded, dirty fries.
Launched just before the Covid-19 pandemic forced the UK into lockdown in March 2020, the business has been through some trials and tribulations – initially setting up at the Jolly Sailor in Cawood before moving to spin their dough at The Crooked Tap.
Not long afterward, the hospitality industry was forced to close – giving EborCibus Pizza the choice of adapting or giving up.
Switching to a delivery service, they found a kitchen at The Knavesmire pub that summer. Eighteen months later, they’ve now secured a permanent home in The Mount at York and host regular pop-ups at Crooked.
Fraudulent claims of undelivered orders such as this, termed ‘fake refunds’, cost businesses hundreds of pounds every year and appear to have grown in frequency since lockdown.
To follow EborCibus Pizza and see more of its delicious-looking food, check the eatery out on Instagram here.
Popular American fast food franchise Shake Shack opens in Greater Manchester
Danny Jones
Greater Manchester has just landed another big global franchise as Shake Shack has finally made its Northern debut with a first Manc location in The Trafford Centre.
With so many good burger joints and a million and one great places to grab a good portion of chips in town alone, they’ll have to hit the ground running to fight off the competition.
The well-known transatlantic multinational is nothing short of massive in the States, vying with the likes of In-N-Out Burger, Five Guys, Carl’s Jr, Whataburger and Wendy’s – just to name a rather large handful. Oh yeah, and Maccies, of course.
Yanks will debate until the cows come home (pardon the pun) about which is best, and many believe Shake Shack is right up there, so Manchester foodies have every right to be excited.
The New York-founded company already has multiple locations on this side of the pond, such as several in London, which is where we first sampled it for ourselves.
Other venues include Birmingham, Cambridge, Oxford and Cardiff, as well as one inside Gatwick Airport; as for the brand’s debut Manchester branch, Shake Shack UK no. 18 is also only their second Halal-friendly site here in Britain.
But what sets this burger and milkshake-driven brand apart from the others?
Well, for starters, you could argue they’re not even most famous for their patties, buns or shakes; the first time we ever heard about Shake Shack was regarding their fries – specifically, the crinkle-cut shape and that very American-style cheese sauce.
They have long proved divisive among the masses, but those who love them go NUTS for the stuff, and you’ll find all manner of fakeaway recipes online of people trying to make their best imitation of the side and sauce, specifically.
Put it this way, Colonel’s gravy on KFC chicken is what cheese sauce is on Shake Shack fries.
Richard Franks, Business Director at Shake Shack UK, said: “Manchester’s a city that does things ‘proper’; it’s full of heart, graft and great taste.
“We’re so pumped to be growing Shake Shack across the UK, and to be opening our first Northern Shack at the Trafford Centre. We can’t wait to be a part of this city.”
The major mall and North West tourist attraction’s Centre Director, Simon Layton, added: “We’re really excited to welcome Shake Shack’s first Northern restaurant to the Trafford Centre.
“We know our visitors are going to love getting their hands on those iconic ShackBurgers and crinkle-cut fries. It’s a huge moment for the North – and we can’t wait for everyone to experience it with us in 2026.”
Opening in place of the Costa in the Great Hall, the opening of Shake Shack Manchester at the Trafford Centre officially opens this week. Exciting times.
Football fans rage over the cost of the new England kits for 2026 World Cup
Danny Jones
It’s that time again: lots of Three Lions fans have been left furious over the cost of new England kits, and having seen the latest price, we’re not surprised.
No, seriously, the world of football fashion is getting seriously out of control…
With the squads for this month’s national team camp having just dropped, March has also seen the release of the new England home and away shirts – both of which are pretty nice, if you ask us.
In case you haven’t seen it already, here’s an extended look at the reveal video, which debuted the new white and red strips ahead of the 2026 World Cup over in the USA:
You can find the full England kit range and all the prices right HERE.
All that being said, something we don’t like the look of is the price tag, and we’re far from the only ones – a good chunk of social media is up in arms about it.
While one person said, “Baffling anyone paying those prices”, and another quipped, “Then treat yourself to a World Cup ticket for three grand” – match prices having also been raised as a concern – the general consensus seems to be ‘game’s gone’, to use a seemingly timeless phrase.
Another sarcastically wrote, “I have no idea why the counterfeit shirt economy is booming when you can get an original [at] such a good price.”
For example, it didn’t take long for someone to share their most recent and more affordable overseas order along with the caption: “Surely no one is genuinely paying £90 for that when you can get it just as good on DHGate for £10.”
While fake footy shirts are a growing obstacle for manufacturers and suppliers all over the world, for an increasing amount of the general public, it’s now becoming genuinely the only viable way they can justify spending money on the latest kits.
Its a nice kit. But I def do not have £155 lying about.
For context, the above post is an example of the authentic player version worn in matches, which features Nike’s breathable AERO-Fit fabric.
However, even just the standard adult replica version is currently retailing at nearly £90; juniors ‘Stadium’ shirts are priced at £64.99, a full kids ‘Mini’ kit is nearly £50, and even a pair of shorts will set you back either £44.99 or £32.99, depending on whether you’re a kid of grown-up.
When you take into account the countless parents hoping to put a smile on their little one’s face by getting their favourite player’s name on the back of the new England jersey in time for the World Cup, it’s no wonder the Classic Football Shirts and hand-me-down vintage kits culture is so strong.
Georgina Pellant -
26th May 2022 
