While the heatwave experienced in Greater Manchester and other parts of the UK over the weekend might now be in retreat, it’s certainly left its mark on the city’s cafes, pubs and bars. And a much-loved grilled cheese joint in the Northern Quarter can attest to that.
Northern Soul Grilled Cheese on Lower Tib Street is well known for its grilled cheese sandwiches, and now maybe grilled vinyl. That’s because the floors of the restaurant have melted due to the high temperatures.
The extreme heat has forced the restaurant’s owners to temporarily close the venue while they get the floors repaired. Sharing the news on social media, they posted a story to Instagram saying: “We are closed today, the heat over the last few weeks has literally melted the floor!! We’re having it repaired.
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Speaking to the Manchester Evening News following the announcement, founder Dan Place said: “It was a bit of a unique one really, just seeing the photo on the WhatsApp group- this morning and someone asking ‘anyone know what’s up with the floor? today’.
“It’s not during the day that it’s happened, because then we have the doors open and the fans on. It was during the 40c heat the other week that it started and basically the rubber stud flooring you see on buses and trains, so we use that and we’re going to have to get it patched up.
“Of all the things we don’t need right now is putting a new floor down, and it’s not even an old floor at all. We'll shut for today, but will be done within a day I would say - it's a temporary fix so it's is going to look like a bit of a patchwork quilt for now though until we can get the whole floor redone next year."
Northern Soul opened its first branch - a shack on Church Street - back in 2015 opposite Arndale’s Market taking its inspiration from New York’s laid-back diners and the sounds of the British mod scene. Offering up American-style gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches, soups and shakes, it quickly became a hit with locals and visitors alike.
They then moved to Piccadilly, before setting up shop on Lower Tib Street in the Northern Quarter, boasting a design banded on the buses that passed though Greater Manchester in the 1970s. Last November, the grilled cheese specialists added another string to their bow in the form of Dust Dogs - bringing it back to where it all began, transforming their original site into a hot dog joint.
Last month, as the mercury hit record-breaking highs, a number of Greater Manchester eateries chose to close their doors amid the ‘red warning’ heatwave. Mackie Mayor in the city centre and Altrincham Market took the decision in order to look after the welfare of their staff and customers.
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