Expect more queues for viral delights
The home of the viral French Toast has expanded with a new café opening this week(Image: Kenny Brown | Manchester Evening News)
It’s already been hailed as one of Manchester’s busiest bakeries due to the big queues it draws in for its viral products, but Gooey are ready to properly tap into a whole new market: students.
First launched as a delivery-only service from within the back of a coffee shop at the start of the pandemic back in March 2020, the idea for Gooey – which was founded by Jake Ansbro, Paddy Brown, and Sax Arshad – was to bring New York-style cookies and donuts to Manchester. An instant hit, it was its towering French Toast, which consists of thick-cut milk bread stuffed with dulce de leche and then fried in butter, which brought the bakery to the attention of the masses.
Its success led to the launch of a kiosk site in Ducie Street Warehouse and its first permanent café on High Street in the Northern Quarter. It also now has kiosks in the Selfridges store in the Trafford Centre and at Manchester Airport’s Terminal 2, as well as a spot in Liverpool.
Click here for the latest on Manchester’s food & drink scene, gigs and more in our CityLife newsletter
Now, Gooey is expanding with its second café and brunch spot – this time turning to the emerging Circle Square development on Oxford Road, joining the likes of famed pasta spot Onda and modern steakhouse MEATWORKS as neighbours. Whilst always drawing in a young crowd due to its Instagram-worthy baked goods, the new spot positions the bakery right within Manchester’s student population – but it doesn’t come without its own set of challenges.
“Gooey has always been quite fun and out there and I think young people have always connected with that right from the start – that definitely played a part in us deciding to open up here,“ General Manager Chelsea Scott tells the M.E.N. “The Northern Quarter still has a lot of students but it’s a bit of a different clientele generally. We’ve noticed there’s a lot more competition here, but we always try to stand out.”
Gooey has gained a cult-like status for its sweet treats since first emerging in 2020(Image: Kenny Brown | Manchester Evening News)
For the Oxford Road spot, which officially opens on Thursday (May 14), it’s about offering the same level of freshly-baked goodness as well as a few new surprises and additions, namely an expanded brunch and matcha offering. New sandwich additions at the 70-cover cafe include an Egg Sandwich featuring kewpie mayo served on toasted Shokupan bread and a stunning avocado toast featuring chilli cashews, a soft egg and pickled beets on top of a toasted chia and turmeric sourdough.
It’s already-bustling coffee and drinks selection has also been expanded to include the likes of two new soon-to-be viral creations in the form of a French toast iced matcha and a lemon meringue pie matcha.
Gooey has opened a new café on Oxford Road within the Circle Square development(Image: Kenny Brown | Manchester Evening News)
“We’re basically just bringing everything we’ve become known for, with some of our trademark brioches, and new additions,” Chelsea explains. “We have always been about making things fresh in-house because I think that’s what has really showcased us as a bakery. Bread can be quite a tricky process to do right – it’s quite technical, actually – and I do think that some of the brunch places in Manchester have kind of dropped the mark a little bit in that regard.”
Also being introduced to the Oxford Road cafe is the inclusion of a new Meal Deal – something that both the people of Manchester and its students can often find no difficulty in getting behind. For £10.50, the menu includes a choice of sandwich, cookie and drink.
Asked why she thinks Manchester seems to be going through a renaissance period of brunch spots and cafes right now, Chelsea says the city thrives on its convenience – especially in a part of town like Oxford Road. “We had a kiosk here in Circle Square for a while and people were always asking us to open up a permanent spot so they could order our French Toast,” she explains.
New additions to the brunch menu include an egg sandwich featuring kewpie mayo served on toasted Shokupan bread(Image: Kenny Brown | Manchester Evening News)
“Compared to London, we do tend to enjoy a bit of a slower pace of life so people actually take the time to sit down and enjoy a little catch-up over a coffee and a cake. I also think there is becoming a bigger audience in Manchester hfor venues that don’t tend to revolve around alcohol – that’s where brunch or an afternoon matcha comes into its own.”
Chelsea says that whilst the Oxford Road spot will open from 8am (earlier than its Northern Quarter cafe) until 5pm, they will be willing to consider expanding on their operating hours and stay open later once they have properly accustomed to the area and seen the demand. Like their other spots, they also want to introduce social and community events, which have previously included the likes of candle making workshops.
Gooey’s mighty French Toast has become a superstar in its own right(Image: Kenny Brown | Manchester Evening News)
As well as earning cult-like status with foodies in Manchester, Gooey has also gained some fans in the form of famous faces, including American pop star Lizzo who visited during a stay in the city whilst on tour back in 2023. Adding to their virality, it’s something that Chelsea and the team at the café still can’t quite come to terms with.
“We were all just completely shocked when she posted about us,” Chelsea laughs. “We had no idea she had even come in, we knew nothing about it until she did a video with her order. I think it was on a quiet midweek day, which at the time tended to be quite a steady day for us, and then we just had crowds down the street for weeks after that and we’d sell out every day. It was really wild!”
Gooey’s breads are made fresh everyday by their in-house bakery(Image: Kenny Brown | Manchester Evening News)
And queues are expected once again when Gooey opens this week. On its opening day, the café will be handing out 100 free sandwiches, 100 free iced matchas and 200 cookies from midday on Thursday – all on a first-come, first-served basis.
Gooey is on No.1 Circle Square, 3 Symphony Park, Manchester M1 7FS.