Enormous queue down Deansgate for free steak at new restaurant

Hundreds of hungry punters formed a snaking queued down Deansgate on Tuesday afternoon to bag a free steak at new restaurant Flat Iron. The queue began to form just before 4pm after Flat Iron bosses announced free Wagyu steaks for the first 500 to turn up to celebrate its opening in Manchester.

Flat Iron has taken over an historic 200-year-old building on the corner of Deansgate and Quay Street in Manchester for its first in the city region. The restaurant is already a popular name outside of Manchester having launched with 13 restaurants across the country, including locations in London and Leeds.

It will open officially to the public on Wednesday, July 3. But on Tuesday decided to celebrate by throwing open its doors to those willing to queue for a freebie.

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The restaurant is known for its concise and "affordable" menu that centres around one signature £14 piece of meat - the featherblade cut - which is known for its flavour and tenderness. But, on Tuesday night punters were able to try their special Wagyu, which is normally priced at £22 and cooked via a bespoke charcoal grill, for free.

It was certainly a tempting offer, if the queues were anything to go by. The queue got up to 500 people at its peak and stretched all the way back to the John Rylands Library.

At that point, staff from the restaurant placed a marker to warn those joining the queue they were unlikely to make it within the first 500 inside. The queue was coordinated by staff so as not to pour over the side streets and obstruct traffic onto and off Deansgate.

Bosses said they expected to be feeding the free feasts up to 9pm on Tuesday night to cope with demand. They handed out free bags of popcorn to those waiting.

Among those joining the queue was Sean Wong, 42, who has just returned to Manchester from Vancouver.

He came well prepared for the queue by bringing his own beat box to pump out party tunes.

He said: "I'm always talking about Wagyu steak to my mates. Then I saw the MEN article saying this place would be giving them away for free so I thought 'I’ll go to that'. "

He had been queuing for an hour when the queue started to move inside and didn't mind waiting another hour either. He says: "It’s one of those, as long as I have a beer and beats in the queue I’m happy."

Diners all received a free steak once inside - but then would need to pay for sides, drinks and any extras they ordered. But the lure of that free Wagyu was strong.

Friends and student marketeers Ewan Whitby-Smith, 21, Fisher Rose, 19, Eve Franckel, 23, and Margot Broom, 21, were placed at 168 in the queue and expected to be waiting for around two hours to get inside.

Ewan, from Levenshulme, said: "Free steak is free steak so we thought it was worth the queue. We reckon we'll be here until 6.30pm and then get inside."

Eve, from Fallowfield, added: "It's been a great day, we were handing out free cans of Red Bull, we got some free popcorn and the new Electric Shuffle bar was also handing out free vouchers for there too."

The two-floor venue is housed in the former Royal London Friendly Society headquarters building which dates back to 1908. The restaurant has space for 150 covers and features a basement dining area as well as an open-plan space with a centrepiece bar selling a range of curated cocktails, alongside wines, beers and ‘house fizzes’.