Food & Drink
Manchester restaurant Northern Soul issues warning about ‘clever’ social media scam
This is horrible
The founder of Northern Soul Grilled Cheese has shared their experience with a social media scam, in a bid to help other independents avoid it.
Dan Place, founder of Northern Soul, explains he was targeted by a sophisticated scammer over the weekend that ‘ripped the heart out’ of his business.
Speaking to the MEN, he said the hacker took control of all the Northern Soul social media platforms and is now demanding cash in return.
The hacker was demanding £2,500, and Dan said that even if the business could afford it – after the difficult year in hospitality – they still wouldn’t hand it over and ‘give in to blackmail’.
The restaurant have spent the past seven years building their social media channels, which Dan now describes as a community.
Currently he is waiting for an investigation from Facebook, who also own Instagram and Whatsapp, but in the meantime has warned others of how the hacker operated so other businesses don’t fall victim.
He said: “I would hate for this to happen to any other Manchester business, it’s so painful.
“I feel like it’s ripped the heart out of the shop.”
The Northern Soul Instagram account received an Instagram message from what appeared to be an official account, warning them of a copyright infringement on background music in a video post.
The message then directed the restaurant to a form where they could dispute the claim or agree to take the video down.
After filling in the details, Dan received suspicious WhatsApp messages demanding money, to then find he had been lockdown out of the accounts.
He said: “I’m super on it with security and scams, but this was done very cleverly. They were asking for such a small thing – it wasn’t money or anything, it was just taking a post down.
“It’s the sort of message you get fairly regularly from Instagram.
“When I got that message on WhatsApp and realised what had happened I just thought to myself ‘Am I in a movie’ – it didn’t even feel real.”
Northern Soul is now aiming to get back their 25,000 followers by Christmas on their new profile which you can follow here.
One new follower will receive unlimited grilled cheese for life and will also be able to choose a local charity that Dan will donate £1,000 to, instead of paying the money to the scammer.
Dan said: “All we want for Christmas is our followers back. Everyone on those accounts are friends of the businesses – it’s a small following to some but it’s so potent to us.
“It’s huge. The Instagram account has kept us going this year. It’s our community.
“Our followers know how hard we’ve worked – seven years has gone into that and someone’s taken it in seven minutes.
“We’re barely holding on financially. What else can 2020 chuck at us?”
Food & Drink
Popular Italian launches new menu with fresh cheesy pesto pasta and king prawns
If you’re in search of an authentic Italian dining experience in Manchester, look no further than Italiana Fifty Five
A popular Italian restaurant in Manchester has launched a new A La Carte menu.
Italiana Fifty Five has added some appetising new dishes to its menu to expand its offering this spring.
Diners can sample the newly added seasonal items and its authentic classic Italian favourites at all three of its Manchester sites – at the Great Northern, Liverpool Road and Didsbury.
The new A La Carte dishes include Gamberoni Grigliata which is tiger prawns cooked in garlic, butter, lemon and fresh chilli and served with toasted altamura bread for £13.95.
Also new to the menu is the Zoupa which is a hearty seafood soup with king scallops, king prawns, and muscles for £13.95.
Brand new appetisers include the Insalata Tricolore with avocado, beef tomato and buffalo mozzarella for £9.50, and the Bruschetta Speciale made with toasted sourdough bread and buffalo mozzarella spread, roasted heritage cherry tomatoes, garlic, onion, fresh basil and pesto for £9.75.
And if that’s not enough to entice you, diners can also tuck in to the new risotto and pasta dishes, including Risotto Zafferano which is a saffron risotto with parsley, garlic, onion and pecorino cheese for £14.95.
And the Trofie ala Pesto made with trofie pasta in homemade pesto sauce, finished with buffalo mozzarella for £14.95.
Complete your visit on a sweet note and indulge in one of Italiana Fifty Five’s best-loved desserts such as the Tiramisu or panna cotta.
To find out more or book a table at Italiana Fifty Five, click HERE.
Food & Drink
Restaurant famed for ‘cheese wheel pasta’ and ‘towering lasagnas’ looking to come to Manchester
A taste of la dolce vita could be coming to Manchester
The ‘OTT’ group famous for its pasta served in a wheel of cheese and 10-level lasagnas is reportedly looking to open a new Italian restaurant in Manchester city centre.
French-based Big Mamma Group, which owns over-the-top Italian restaurants in London – Gloria, Carlotta, Jacuzzi, Ave Mario and Circolo Popolare – will open a new venue in Gary Neville’s under-construction St Michael’s development off Deansgate.
Its restaurants are known for their flamboyant, retro interiors, resembling vintage maximalism Italian eateries, as well as US-style red sauce joints.
The regularly changing menus feature a variety of Italian classics, including fettuccine alfredo al tartufo, spaghetti with meatballs, a famous ’10 level’ lasagne and carbonara served in a huge cheese wheel.
The Manchester restaurant will be the first UK venue to be located outside of London and will – sit alongside the also announced Japanese-Peruvian restaurant Chotto Matte, also to be built at St Michael’s.
The move follows a host of other operators in the capital choosing to open new sites in Manchester.
Soon to arrive in the city will be the likes of Caravan, Flat Iron, Soho House and Blacklock.
Big Mamma – which was founded in 2013 by French entrepreneurs Victor Lugger and Tigrane Seydoux – has more than 20 restaurants across Europe including Paris, Monaco, Milan, Madrid and Berlin.
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Food & Drink
High-end Japanese restaurant MUSU offering 30% off in March
Take advantage of vibrant Japanese dining experience
High-end Japanese restaurant MUSU is offering 30% off in March for customers who sign up to its new free rewards programme.
The contemporary Japanese eatery, nestled in the heart of the city centre on Bridge Street, is launching its own membership rewards programme.
The scheme is free to join and will give members 30% off their food bill throughout March upon signing up.
Rewards customers can enjoy discounted prices on menus including the Omakase – the theatrical, educational sushi experience which is served individually to diners at the restaurant’s six–seat omakase counter.
This also includes the full Land of the Rising Sun tasting menus, which take in a range of cooking styles from all over Japan, devised by chef-patron Mike Shaw.
Then from April, members of the programme will be able to take advantage of a series of other rewards, including 30% off any food bill when dining at lunch time, 10% off when dining at dinner on any menu, and a 10% discount on private hire and private dining.
The restaurant has a closed-off area for its private dining experience for guests to enjoy, which is regularly used by celebrities and food critics alike.
On top of this, members celebrating their birthdays at MUSU will receive a complimentary drink, and every reward programme member will be entered into a monthly prize draw to win a 12-course Land of the Rising Sun experience, complete with wine pairings.
You can get early access to the restaurant’s special events, like its live tuna cutting experience, where a whole bluefin tuna is carved in front of diners, while its expert sushi chefs talk you through the provenance of the fish and the skills displayed in this ancient craft.
You can sign up to MUSU’s free rewards scheme, HERE.
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