{"id":530215,"date":"2026-04-14T11:53:19","date_gmt":"2026-04-14T11:53:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/530215\/"},"modified":"2026-04-14T11:53:19","modified_gmt":"2026-04-14T11:53:19","slug":"im-just-sick-of-it-deansgate-cafe-owner-hits-out-at-very-selfish-people-after-devastating-find","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/530215\/","title":{"rendered":"‘I\u2019m just sick of it’: Deansgate cafe owner hits out at ‘very selfish’ people after devastating find"},"content":{"rendered":"

CCTV outside Alex’s Bakery on Deansgate is understood to show a group of people who were drinking in the terrace, before getting \u2018all crazy\u2019 and trying to flip the picnic tables\"The<\/p>\n

The owner of Alex’s Bakery in Deansgate said her staff turned up to find damage to its terrace(Image: Alex’s Bakery)<\/p>\n

The owner of a caf\u00e9 which has been in Deansgate<\/a> for more than seven years says she is becoming \u2018really frustrated\u2019 after staff arrived to find its terrace area had been damaged overnight.<\/p>\n

Alex\u2019s Bakery, within the Great Northern, has become known for its popular cupcakes, brownies and sweet treats for a number of years, and is also hailed as one of the city\u2019s best spots for Afternoon Tea. Run by owner Alexandra Furlan, the spot <\/a>is often packed out with queues at the weekend.<\/p>\n

But on Sunday morning (April 12), staff arrived to find the outside terrace area had been damaged overnight – with splintered tables, broken glass, ripped plant pots, and a broken fence.<\/p>\n

In a post on social media, Alex said she believed the destruction had been \u2018caused by people who aren\u2019t even our customers\u2019.<\/p>\n

Get MEN Premium now for just \u00a31 HERE<\/a> \u2013 or get involved in our WhatsApp group by clicking HERE<\/a>. And don’t miss out on our brilliant selection of newsletters HERE.<\/a><\/p>\n

Speaking to the Manchester Evening News, she said it was not the first time that the outside area had been vandalised, with its fence – which was described as now being \u2018unsafe and barely standing\u2019 – having been damaged and repaired just a few weeks ago.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe constantly find a lot of mess from people over the weekend,\u201d Alex explains. \u201cIt can be quite brutal for us because every weekend morning we\u2019ll find something that needs tidying up or cleaning away. Often it\u2019s takeaway rubbish, empty bottles, and cigarettes, but damage is becoming more frequent recently.<\/p>\n

\"Alex<\/p>\n

Alex said staff had to take the time to clean up and remove glass and debris before being able to prepare the bakery for opening(Image: Alex’s Bakery)<\/p>\n

\u201cIt means we have to take extra time to clean the space ready for our customers on top of everything else we have to do in order to be ready for opening. Where else are people going to sit? It\u2019s not fair on us, and it\u2019s getting really quite frustrating, to be honest.”<\/p>\n

Alex said their CCTV footage from the early hours of Sunday morning (April 11), which she has chosen not to share, showed a group of people who were drinking in the terrace, before getting \u2018all crazy\u2019 trying to flip the picnic tables over and ripping the plant pots off. The owner alleged broken glass from spirit and wine bottles was also found all over the floor of the area.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen we came in on Sunday morning, the tables were all tilting over, and the fence is now wobbly. The tables are splintered and can be dangerous for our customers. It\u2019s frustrating for us as we try to look after our things, and make it nice for people to enjoy. We can\u2019t keep fixing things every weekend – it feels like something keeps happening to us and the other businesses here.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Alex's<\/p>\n

Alex’s Bakery in Deansgate(Image: Alex’s Bakery)<\/p>\n

Alex said she has not reported the damage to the police as she said she feels it will not lead to anything, but she just wants to remind people to be respectful of the area and the businesses there that are already struggling enough as it is.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a really tough time for everyone right now,\u201d she explains. \u201cBut when things like this happen, it\u2019s our responsibility to sort out. I love where our caf\u00e9 is, it\u2019s such a lovely spot, and we have some incredible customers who support us, but I don\u2019t understand why people feel they can damage other people\u2019s things? If people want to use our seats at night, then at least tidy up after yourselves. It\u2019s very selfish, it should not be our job.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen our staff come into work, they shouldn\u2019t have to expect to find a lot of mess outside that they have to then spend their time sorting out. It makes everybody really angry. I\u2019m just sick of it. I just want people to realise the impact it has on us and the other businesses here when this happens.”<\/p>\n

\"How<\/p>\n

How the bakery’s outside terrace is supposed to look(Image: Alex’s Bakery)<\/p>\n

Mark Schofield, the Centre Director for Great Northern, told the M.E.N.: “We\u2019re disappointed to see the damage caused to the outdoor terrace at Alex\u2019s Bakery over the weekend. Alex\u2019s is a much-loved independent business and an important part of the Great Northern Warehouse community, so it\u2019s frustrating to see it impacted in this way.<\/p>\n

“We\u2019re proud of the independent brands that make Great Northern Warehouse what it is, and our immediate focus has been on supporting the team at Alex\u2019s to get the space cleaned up. Incidents like this are taken seriously, and we continue to work closely with our on-site teams and partners to maintain a safe, welcoming environment for all businesses and visitors.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"CCTV outside Alex’s Bakery on Deansgate is understood to show a group of people who were drinking in…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":530216,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[84,45109,59,46999,56,54,55],"class_list":{"0":"post-530215","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-business","8":"tag-business","9":"tag-deansgate","10":"tag-gb","11":"tag-manchester-cafes","12":"tag-uk","13":"tag-united-kingdom","14":"tag-unitedkingdom"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/530215","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=530215"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/530215\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/530216"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=530215"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=530215"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=530215"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}