Featured image: Ruby Sharp

Good food has the power to bring people together, and in Manchester, this couldn’t be more true. We explore how family-run restaurants are going above and beyond for their community.

Since opening in 2019, Fress, located in the Northern Quarter, has made a name for itself not just for its food, but for its dedication to the community. Managed by Rubel Sardar, the restaurant has been committed to helping the local area from the very beginning.

“During Covid, we fed the NHS and donated lots of food to homeless people,” says Sardar. “By following guidelines, we were able to help local people.” This gesture led the family’s broader mission to support those in need, especially during the challenging times of the pandemic.

The family came to the UK in the early 1970s and began with five brothers who came together to open their own business. Prior to Fress, the family ran Khau Galli, a restaurant in Oldham, but it was their experience during lockdown that defined their approach to community service.

As the pandemic caused financial strain across the country, Sardar recognised that Fress had extra food they could donate to those in need. Throughout the pandemic, the business donated over 10,000 meals to key workers, working closely with the Royal Oldham Hospital to support the Manchester community.

Now, the family-run business is on a mission to donate a million meals by 2029. In response to the global hunger crisis, they have already donated 50,000 meals since 2021.

Inside Fress, guests find a warm atmosphere and friendly staff serving up hearty breakfasts and brunch. This welcoming environment reflects the restaurant’s deeper commitment to nourishing the community, with both food and a sense of belonging.

Meanwhile, the nearby Yadgar Cafe has its own unique charm. It’s a small shopfront on Thomas Street with a stiff door and an old-fashioned interior. However, you’ll soon be greeted with a hot meal and friendly chat. Yadgar’s serves up plates of ‘Rice and Three,’ a specific type of South Asian cuisine found across the city with its roots in cheap canteen-style catering for rag trade workers, with servings of lentil dal, vegetable curry and meat on a bed of rice.

Yadgar regular Arthur Lee Hatton-Jones, 19, describes how this spot supports the Manchester community: “Yadgar offers reasonably priced, great food that is accessible to everyone. It’s always a nice place to come and chat, providing a break from the working environment.” He adds: “It’s a home away from home; they always look after me.” 

A few miles across town, on the Stretford Road in Hulme, is Buzzrocks, a family-run Caribbean restaurant which has been serving the Manchester community for 35 years. It all began with a small trailer at events like Glastonbury and Womad. Today, they’ve settled in their new restaurant home.

Buzzrock himself came to Manchester from Jamaica in the 1970s as a 27-year-old, two decades after his parents arrived here with the Windrush generation. Showcasing his cooking talents at Caribbean club nights in Moss Side, his nickname Buzzrock came about as friends would say his dumplings were kneaded “tight like a rock.”

It’s also where he met his wife, Farida Anderson. Over the years, they’ve built a base of regular customers, all queueing for their opening meal each day. Farida is proud of serving up Caribbean food for all communities: “We are open with everyone in mind,” she says.

Buzzrocks partnered with Deliveroo during Black History Month to actively support Black-owned businesses and give back to the community. For every order placed from a Black business, Deliveroo made a donation, with the funds going to the Zahid Mubarek Trust, Buzzrocks’ charity of choice, to help Black businesses threatened by the cost-of-living crisis.

Buzzrocks is committed to giving back to the community in countless ways and firmly believes in second chances. One aspect of this belief is that they employ ex-offenders to help support the business. Farida – now an MBE – is a motivational speaker who works with prisons to help  people turn their lives around. She says: “We are always open to work with people when they reach out.”